


The Morning Star

by Antarctic_Echoes



Series: Carry On, Wayward Son [2]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon divergence after S01x13, F/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Some Lucifer Whump, Strong Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-11 13:43:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7054159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antarctic_Echoes/pseuds/Antarctic_Echoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Queen of Heaven, Asherah, comes to Los Angeles to take revenge against Lucifer, who had locked her up in Hell so long ago.  Will he be able to send her back to Hell?</p><p>A follow-up to "The Lightbringer Prince."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Queen of Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I see all these wonderful stories being posted about post S01x13, so I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. I'm a beginning writer and I don't have a beta so I apologize upfront for any grammatical and spelling errors. I am also not familiar with police procedures, so I apologize ahead of time for any gross errors in that department.
> 
> This story uses a lot of Lucifer's history that I laid out in "The Lightbringer Prince," so I set it up as a series. You don't have to read the other story, but it might help you to understand when I refer to Lucifer as The Left Hand of God. I hadn't intended this story to be dependent on the other, but it just happened. Sorry about that.
> 
> Disclaimer: All characters except for Asherah (she's my creation) are owned by Vertigo Comics, DC Comics, Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey, and everyone else involved with the Lucifer TV show and comic books. I own nothing and make no money on this. I merely am borrowing the characters for... uh... writing practice.

 

 

The day was much like any other typical day in California.  The temperatures were beginning to climb as the sun rose in the sky.  It was early morning and a weekday, so the beach was still fairly empty, but some people had already arrived, seeking relief from the summer heat.  Surfers, decked out in their wetsuits, resembled seals as they caught the waves back to shore.  Some people walked along the strand; a few hardcore sunbathers, wearing hardly anything at all, had already started laying out their towels in choice locations.

No one seemed to notice a figure rising from the surf, at first.  No one was really sure where she had come from.  She walked up on the beach, wearing nothing; her only possession that she held tightly in her hand was what appeared to be a club with spikes.  Tall and statuesque, with hair as black as a raven's wing and skin that resembled porcelain, she commanded attention from all those around her.  A ripple went through the people like a shock wave as they started staring and pointing.  The woman's gaze encompassed them all, and she laughed.

The Queen of Heaven had arrived.

It had been so long since she had been on earth.  Thousands of years ago she had been loved and worshipped.  Humans had done her bidding, and made offerings to her.  She had been known by many names -- Astarte, Anat, Innana, and many others, depending on her mood -- but she loved Asherah the best.  It was the name some of her first worshippers had called her, so long ago, and was the name she now went by.

She was the goddess of fertility and war.  She had an insatiable appetite and lusted for everything.  Her life had been filled with love and beauty, and she had once had many consorts on earth.  Her husband was tolerable most of the time, but he was weak in character, and she had a hard time respecting him.   As the goddess of sexuality, she couldn't be expected to be satisfied with just him, could she?  Besides, he had never seemed to mind.

No, it wasn't until her worshippers started outnumbering his that he had complained.  The people idolized her, revered her, loved her.  They didn't have that kind of love for him that they had for her, and it had angered him.  If there was one thing her husband was, it was selfish.  He became jealous, and set his will against hers in an epic chess match, with human worshippers as the game pieces. 

The world had been set ablaze from the game, and she had basked in the violence and the killing.  Thousands died, but what did she care?  They were only humans.  Not worth anything, really.  Once she won the game, she could rebuild her devoted followers; the key was to annihilate all of her husband's followers before he killed hers.

And she would have won, if her husband hadn't set her favorite son against her.  Lucifer.  Or, as he was known in those days, Samael.

Samael... the one who was the most like her.  He had the strength of will that she did, the burning lust for life, the hunger that she had.  He had even taken after her in looks, with his black hair and dark eyes.  With his power to bring light to the night skies, he had been her most favorite. 

Unfortunately, Samael loved his father, and always sought his approval.  Asherah's husband had never cared for her poor boy, instead preferring his other children, like that simpering weakling, Gabriel, or that insufferable lout, Michael.  He was too selfish to realize what a devoted son he already had.  No, Samael as he was hadn't been good enough for him.  That bastard husband of hers had to turn her favorite boy into The Left Hand of God. 

Anger burned in her at the unfairness of it all.  Once Samael became her husband's left hand, he had no choice but to do his father's bidding.  His father had forced him to turn against his own mother.  She would never forgive her husband for that.  She swore to bring the heavens down upon his head.

And Samael... no, Lucifer, now.  She had a bone to pick with him, as well.  How many millennia had he left her to rot in that cell?  She had begged and begged him to let her out, but her pleas had fallen on deaf ears.  And the tortures she had suffered because of him -- centuries without any love or adulation to sustain her.  She couldn't live without it, and she had gone mad in her cell for want of love.  She had suffered so much because her own son had betrayed her.  She wanted to hurt him for that.  She would make him pay.

The sunlight was blinding for her eyes, which had gone centuries without any light at all.  Holding up a hand to block the light, she studied her surroundings.  A number of humans gathered before her, drawn to her beauty and her charisma.  A laugh escaped her lips.  She supposed it wasn't every day one saw a nude goddess emerging from the surf.

They eventually all came to her, as if they could sense her divinity, with their faces full of lust and desire.  She could hear some in the back of the small crowd yelling their love for her, and others, growing jealous, yelling back.  In no time at all there was a fight breaking out among the humans.  It brought a cruel laugh to Asherah's lips.

"Fetch me garments that show your love for me," she ordered the human closest to her: a young man with a surfboard tucked under his arm.  He dropped the board and ran off to do her bidding.  Asherah's gaze swept over the rest of the humans in the small crowd.  Her new worshippers.  She smirked.  Small in number, but it was only a matter of time before she had more.  First she had to learn the lay of the land.  Then she might stop by to see her son -- just a preliminary visit to put him on notice.

Now, where was he?  She closed her eyes and tried to sense him.  He was an angel, albeit a fallen one, and his angelic nature would be like a beacon of light for her to spot.  She cast her psychic net far and wide, and quickly felt an angelic presence -- no, wait, two...?  And a demon.  Lovely.  All three were spread out, but eventually the demon would go to Lucifer, or he to her, she was sure.  Then she would pay him a visit.

 

________________________________

 

Maze walked along the long stretch of beach along the Malibu coastline.  The sun was high in the sky, and heat shimmered off the hot sand, but she didn't even notice.  She was from Hell, after all; this would be considered cool, where she came from.  She had a number of admiring glances from the surfers, but she ignored them all.  No one would know from looking at her that her insides were in turmoil.

She heard a whoosh of feathers; Amenadiel was suddenly next to her.  Annoyed, she quickened her stride, but he kept pace with her.

"You've been very hard to find," he said.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to be found."

"And you do now?"

Maze stopped in her tracks and glared at the angel beside her.  "What the hell is happening to me?!  I saved you.  _Me!_   A demon!  With the one thing that could have gotten Lucifer and me home!"

"Maze...."

"Why is this happening?" she raged.  "I was perfectly happy torturing souls and having massive amounts of sex.  Then you come along and boom!  The next thing I know, I'm a damned saint!"

She started walking again, anger evident in every step.  Amenadiel hurried after her.  He caught her arm; she immediately flipped him and he landed hard on his back, with Maze straddling him, her fist poised to smash his face in.

But she didn't.  She stared at him for a moment, confusion clouding her features until she lowered her fist.

"See?  _See?!_ "  She stood up and screamed.  "What is _wrong_ with me?!"

Amenadiel stood and took her in his arms.  She didn't even resist, which told him how distraught she was.

"You have feelings for me."  Pride was evident in his voice, which annoyed the hell out of Maze.

"I don't, you arrogant bastard.  Lucifer is the only one I have feelings for.  He is my lord and master, and the only one I care about."

"I beg to differ.  Lucifer has changed since coming here -- showing more mercy, saving humans.  If he can change, why can't you?"

A nauseated expression crossed the demon's face as she pushed away from him.  "Don't be insulting."

A laugh escaped Amenadiel's lips.  "Look, just admit that you like me.  It won't kill you."

Maze made a sound of disgust.  "This is so wrong."

"What's wrong about it?"

"I'm a demon!  You're an angel!  This isn't supposed to happen!"

"No," admitted Amenadiel quietly.  "But it is."

He pulled her close and gave her a gentle kiss, which, after some hesitation, she deepened into something much more passionate.

"Well, isn't this sweet?"

The couple sprang apart at the voice behind them.  They both turned to see Asherah a few feet away, with a calculating look in her eyes.  The dark-haired woman, wielding a wicked club and dressed in a leather outfit that put Maze's clothes to shame, sauntered up to them.

"I was expecting to find Lucifer with his little demon.  Imagine my surprise to find _you_ here, Amenadiel."

"Asherah," Maze breathed.  She knew immediately who the other woman was.  Who wouldn't recognize the Queen of Heaven?  "When --?  H-how did you escape?"

 "Well, you have your lover boy to thank for that.  He left the gates wide open for a spell."

The demon grimaced as she realized Amenadiel had been unable to keep the gates of hell closed when he had nearly been killed with one of her blades.

"How did you find us, Mother?"  Amenadiel asked as he tucked Maze behind him protectively.  The demon gave the angel a furious glance before taking her place beside him. 

"Oh please, your angelic presence practically screams where you are.  As does yours, little demon."  Asherah said as she studied the spikes on the top of her club.  "I'm just disappointed that Lucifer isn't here."

"You'll not harm Lucifer," Maze growled. 

"And who is going to stop me?  You?"  Madness tinged the goddess's laugh.  "I'd like to see you try."

Maze suddenly dashed toward Asherah, her knives drawn and ready to strike.  The goddess leaped away, and swung the club.  It almost struck Maze, but Amenadiel jumped in the fray and deflected the blow.  Asherah whipped around like lightning and caught the angel in his side with the club.  He grunted at the impact and fell backwards.  Maze ran to him, then screamed her rage and charged the goddess.  The two women grappled for a few moments, both fighting for control, but Asherah was too strong.  She struck out at Maze, knocking the knives from her hands and slamming her to the ground.  Amenadiel tackled his mother from behind, but she twisted hard and kicked him in the chest.  He flew through the air to land in the sand several feet away. 

Asherah walked up to Maze, who was coughing up blood and struggling to get to her feet.  She kicked the demon, knocking her down again.  Pinning Maze to the ground with her foot on her chest, Asherah lifted her spiked club and aimed it right for Maze's head.

"Stop!" Amenadiel yelled as he struggled to his feet.  "Mother, don't!" 

Asherah stopped the swing of the club within a hair's breath of Maze's face, smirking as she glanced up at her son.  Amenadiel held his side, trying to stop the bleeding, and said, "Please.  Please, Mother."

"She means something to you?"

"She does."

"Then I think we can come to a mutual understanding."  She bent down, applying more pressure with her foot on Maze's chest.  Maze gritted her teeth at the pain.  "It's not you that I want, anyway."

"I'll kill you," Maze snarled as she struggled to free herself.  "I'll kill you before you can hurt Lucifer."

Asherah looked down at the demon and smiled.  "As if you could.  You're too weak, little one, and so is your lover boy."  The dark-haired goddess suddenly straightened and looked at Amenadiel, but kept Maze pinned in the sand.  "But it's not either one of you I want.  In fact, I owe you, Amenadiel, so let's cut a deal, you and I."

"Don't you dare make any deals with this bitch, Amenadiel.  I'd rather die," Maze spat.

"Which could be arranged if you don't shut up, my dear," Asherah said, once again applying pressure to Maze's chest.  A painful cry escaped the demon's lips.  The goddess glanced back at her son.  "Now, let's talk."


	2. Forsaken

 

 

Looking for his mother was turning out to be quite the chore.

Lucifer would have loved just picking up the phone and calling in a favor or two, but this wasn't a situation where he could do that.  Humans were highly susceptible to his mother's powers, and he couldn't trust them to tell him the truth.  He also couldn't trust them not to tell his mother that he was looking for her.  He needed time to formulate a plan.

So he did it the old-fashioned way.

It was rare that Lucifer actually sat down to do serious things instead of party, but these were not normal times.  He knew Asherah would come to Los Angeles, because she would want revenge for her incarceration.  He sat on his couch with his shirt sleeves rolled up, and pulled out a map he had of Southern California.  He laid it out on the coffee table, and weighted it down with his old-fashioned glass and one of his best bottle of scotch.  No sense in skimping, was there?  Not when there was work to be done.  Incredibly _boring_ work.  But that couldn't be helped.

He started to mark all of the locations of the largest churches along the coast line.  Asherah was pretty narcissistic, and would want followers.  Where better to get them than from Dad? 

She'd also start trouble.  That was just how she rolled.

He laid several tablets out on the coffee table, and turned them all on at the same time, each with a different streaming newscast.  He also surfed the internet on his laptop, looking for any signs of violence near the coast line as he listened to the news.  She was the goddess of sexuality and war, but Lucifer also knew she was called The Lady of the Sea.  After experiencing fiery Hell, she'd want to go back to the ocean.  Chances were that she'd stir up trouble there first. He drained the scotch in the old-fashioned glass, wishing Maze was around to give him a hand.  He wondered idly if Amenadiel had ever located her.

A news story caught his attention on one of the tablets. He looked at it briefly and scribbled more notes, before returning his attention to the laptop.

"And in other news, a small riot erupted in Hermosa Beach on the corner of Pier Avenue and Hermosa Avenue. Sources say the trouble began when two men began fighting over a woman...."

"Another one," he muttered to himself as he marked the location of the disturbance on his map.  The marks dotting the paper were all over the place, but it was only a matter of time before a pattern emerged.  Deep in concentration, he didn't hear the quiet ding of the elevator over the din of the tablets.

Chloe walked into the apartment, blinking at the noise coming from the living room.  She made her way there silently, then studied her partner working hard at his laptop and multiple tablets.  It was a surprising sight, for she had never seen him do anything but party.  She watched him chew his pen before making some notes on a pad of paper beside him.  It made him seem more boyish, somehow.

"What are you doing?" she asked him over the garbled cacophony of multiple newscasts.

"Oh!  Detective!  I didn't hear you come in," Lucifer said, startled.  He closed his laptop and stood up as she approached.  He laughed self-consciously, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. 

 "Well, of course not, not over that noise."

"Oh.  Oh yes."  He quickly turned off the tablets.  "Just watching a little news."

She lifted an eyebrow.  "All at the same time?"

"Yes, well, never let it be said that the Devil can't multi-task," he said and gave her one of his mischievous smiles.  Chloe shook her head, then glanced at the coffee table.

"Working hard, I see.  I don't think I've ever seen you so studious before."  She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with humor.  "I kind of like it."

"Oh, the bookish type catches your fancy, Detective?" he asked with a wolfish grin.  "I'm sure I can find some glasses to wear while we have sex, if you prefer...?"

She chuckled as she approached.  She glanced over at the map splayed out on the table, and the pad that he had been writing on.  "What are you working on?"

He stepped neatly in front of her, blocking her view.  He did not want to get Chloe involved in this.  "Oh, nothing of interest.  Just... just a family matter."

Chloe's curiosity was aroused.  "Well, maybe it's something I can help you with."

"Ah, no, Detective.  I appreciate your concern, but it's quite all right."

"Oh come on, Lucifer.  We're partners, right?"  She tried to get around him but he blocked her again.  She looked up at him with smirk, and he realized that she was teasing.

"You can be quite persistent, can't you?" he said, smiling back.

"Makes me a good detective."

"It's quite charming."

"What, being a good detective?"

That got a chuckle out of him.  When she tried peeking around his shoulder again, he took both her shoulders, turned her around, and led her to the bar.  "So what brings you here this morning, Detective?  A new case?"

"No, I'm still finishing up the paperwork on the Harris file.  They won't give us a new case until that's complete."               

As he poured a couple of glasses of scotch, Lucifer asked as casually as he could, "Will you get called in on these riots that seem to be popping up in the South Bay?"

She shook her head.  "No, that's LA County, but they'll call us in if it gets out of hand."

"Oh."  He felt uneasy.  He didn't want his detective to be caught in the middle of a mob.  She was not on the riot squad, so she shouldn't have to get called in, but if it got out of control....

Seeing the worry in Lucifer's eyes, Chloe touched his arm.  "Hey.  You okay?"

He pushed back his fears, and gave her a crooked smile.  "Of course.  So if you're not here for work, then why...?"

She let him steer the conversation away from himself. "I wanted to thank you," she said.  "Dan told me you got him the best defense attorney in the city to represent him."

"Well, he got me off of the murder charge.  I don't like being in anyone's debt."

"Which is actually kind of funny, since everyone all over the city owes you favors," she said, slanting a glance at him.  His eyes avoided hers as he offered her a glass of scotch, which she waved off.

"Yes, well, what can I say?"  He said, before downing his own drink.

Chloe waited for him to continue, then shook her head when she realized he wasn't going to say anything more.  "You're a puzzle, Mr. Morningstar."

"An intriguing one that you'd like to get your hands on?" he asked, perking up.  He took a step closer to Chloe, and spoke in his most seductive voice.  "Perhaps sink your teeth into?  I'm all for a little foreplay...."

As usual, his flirting bounced right off her.  "In your dreams, buddy," she laughed as she stepped back.

"Is that a promise?"

Just then, the elevator dinged, and they both turned at the sound.  Lucifer felt a little frustrated by the interruption.  He quite enjoyed the banter he shared with the detective; it took his mind off of things he'd rather not think about.  The elevator doors opened.

And of course, it would be Amenadiel.

"Hello, Chloe…. Lucifer," he said.

"Hello.  Amenadiel, isn't it?" Chloe said, turning with a smile on her face.  She felt a flush of pleasure at seeing the man again.  Lucifer was handsome, but Amenadiel was... really charismatic.  Lucifer rolled his eyes when he saw the interest on Chloe's face.  Damn.  Why was she immune to _his_ charms, but not to his incredibly boring brother's?

"It's nice seeing you again, Chloe.  I'm sorry, but would you excuse us?" Amenadiel asked.  He glanced up at Lucifer.  "I need to talk to my brother."

"Of course.  Lucifer, I'll see you later....?"  Chloe made her excuses and left.

Amenadiel glanced about the flat, and nodded approvingly.  "Got the place fixed up, I see."

"Yes, no thanks to you."  Lucifer drank the alcohol in what would have been Chloe's glass before turning to his brother.  "Have you found Maze yet?  Because Mum's starting up with her old antics," he said over his shoulder, as led his brother back to his laptop and notes in the living room. "I've been watching the newscasts and searching the internet --"

"Lucifer."

"-- and I think I've figured out --"

" _Lucifer_."

The fallen angel stopped mid-sentence and looked at his brother.  Amenadiel looked somber and unhappy.

"What is it?"

"I saw Mother the other day."

Lucifer's stomach felt like the bottom had just dropped out.  "Oh."  He shook himself and tried to recover.  "Well, you know where she is, then.  Good.  We can plan on how to get her back to Hell."

"I can't help you, Brother."

That stopped Lucifer in his tracks.  "What?"

"I can't help you."

No.  No no no.  His brother had not just said that he could not help.  "I don't think I heard you properly.  I could have sworn that you just said you couldn't help me."

Amenadiel started to speak, stopped, then started again, obviously struggling with what to say.  "Mother said that she's not interested in me."

The dark-haired man lifted one eyebrow as he eyed his brother.  "Really."

"She wants you, not me."

"Well, I'm honored, but is that any reason to suddenly get cold feet?"

"It's why I can't help you."

Lucifer threw up his arms in frustration.  "I see… it has nothing to do with you, so you're just going to turn your back on me, is that it?"  Disappointment flooded through him.  He had been counting on Amenadiel using his angelic powers to take their errant parent back to Hell.

Amenadiel had the grace to look shame-faced.  "It's not that cut and dry."

"Explain it to me then."  His brother's silence had Lucifer boiling over with rage.  "This is Mum we're talking about.  Mum!  She's probably lost the rest of her marbles from being in Hell for eons!  She'll destroy this world and all the humans on it -- she almost did last time!"

"Luci --"

"And you, Mr. Stick Up Your Arse!  Have you forgotten she escaped because of _you_?  How can you refuse to help when this is all your fault?!"

" _My_ fault?"  Amenadiel blazed.  "She wouldn't have gotten out if you had just stayed in Hell!"

"Oh so this is my fault now?" Lucifer raged.  "Great.  Just great.  The one person who has the power to take her back to Hell and you just bail on me.  That is so like you, Brother!"

Amenadiel's mouth tightened, but he stayed silent he watched his brother pace furiously in front of him.  Finally, Lucifer turned to him and said, "Fine.  Go back to Dad with your tail tucked between your legs.  Maze and I will take care of this ourselves, somehow."

"No, you won't."

Lucifer laughed harshly.  "Is there something I'm missing?  Because I thought you just said you wouldn't help."

"Maze won't help you because she won't be here."

"What?"  The word was spoken quietly, belying the fury behind it.

Amenadiel threw back his shoulders as he faced his brother's hellish wrath. "That was the deal."

Lucifer closed his eyes and counted to ten.  "Explain."

"Mother threatened Maze -- she was ready to kill her.  I couldn't let her do that.  She offered me a deal. She would spare Maze.... as long as I rendered you no aid."

"You would choose a demon over your own brother."  Disdain coated every word.  "Damn it all to hell."

"We all have to make decisions that we have to live with later.  I've made mine."

"Maze is _m_ y demon, Brother.  Her job is to protect me!  You have no right --"

"I have every right!  Maze is special to _me_!"

The two brothers glared at each other furiously.  Amenadiel was the first to look away; he shifted his gaze to the floor, his anger suddenly spent.

"You must understand.  I couldn't let her kill Maze, Luci.  I just couldn't."   One glance at Lucifer's hard face had the angel changing tactics.  "If it had been Chloe, what would you have done?"

All the anger suddenly drained out of the dark-haired man as he considered the question.  He would have done the exact same thing.  Bloody hell.  He wished he didn't understand, but he did.  He studied Amenadiel quietly, then said, "Maze will never forgive you, you know."

The angel shrugged.  "She will, eventually.  And even if she doesn't, I can live with her contempt… as long as she's alive."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Lucifer said.  "Mum's never been quite right in the head, and especially not now, after all the time she's spent in Hell.  You can't trust her to keep her word."

"I know.  I've hidden Maze away, where Mother will never find her – well, not for a while, at least.  She'll be safe."

"There's no place on earth that Mum won't sense a de--" He broke off as realization dawned.  "You've taken her to Heaven."

Amenadiel said nothing.

Lucifer started laughing, but it wasn't a pleasant sound.  "You took a demon to Heaven.  A _demon!_   Oh, Dad must _love_ you!"

"Father doesn't know," Amenadiel said. 

"Oh, even better!  What I wouldn't give to see the epic fireworks display that's sure to happen!"

"Father will be okay with it.  He will be," the angel repeated, as if to convince himself.

"Sure," Lucifer said in a cynical voice.  "Sure, you go right on believing that."

Amenadiel walked onto the balcony, and spread his ebony wings wide.  "I _am_ sorry, Brother."

"A whole lot of good that does me.  Right.  Thank you _so_ much for throwing me under the bus."

"I'll be praying for your success in getting Mother back to Hell.  And Brother…. If Mother ever finds out about your mortality situation around Chloe, she'll use her against you.  I'd hide her, if I were you."  With that, Amenadiel took to the air and flew off.

Lucifer rubbed the back of his neck. That thought had not occurred to him -- he had been too busy looking for Mom.  He knew he was vulnerable around Chloe, and yet he found himself more worried about her welfare than his own.  He didn't want to imagine what his mother would do to her if she knew he cared for her. He had to protect Chloe... and the best way to do that was to get her as far away from him as possible.

"Bloody hell," he muttered as he grabbed his suit jacket and headed for the elevator.  


	3. Protecting the Detective

 

 

The squad room hummed with activity as the elevator opened and Lucifer stepped out.  His eyes scanned the bull pen for his partner as he walked through the room.  There was no sign of her, but he wasn't nervous... yet.  Asherah wouldn't know about her.  All he had to do was to get Chloe out of town before Asherah found out about how vulnerable the detective made him.

She had just been at his flat and had told him she had boring paperwork to do, so she should have been there.  It frustrated him that he couldn't find her.  Having failed to turn up any trace of his partner, he wandered over to Lieutenant Monroe's office.  She was talking with another officer, but that never stopped him before.  He whipped open the door, and gave a wide smile to the Lieutenant.

"Olivia, hi...!  So sorry to interrupt," he said. 

Lieutenant Monroe blinked, then started preening.  "Lucifer!  I mean, Mr. Morningstar!  How nice of you to drop by."  The officer sitting across from her, a big, husky male detective, also started preening.  Lucifer gave them both his most charming smile, then turned his gaze back to the woman. 

"You wouldn't happen to know where Detective Decker is, by chance?  I can't seem to find her in the squad room."

"Oh!  Oh, well, Detective Gibson is out sick, so I sent Decker out with Gibson's partner, Hernandez, to interview a suspect on the Chang case. "

"Chang case?"

"Yes.  Dennis Chang was a businessman who was found dead in the Argyle Hotel a few days ago.  Hernandez wanted to interview the deceased's wife again."

"Ah.  Can you tell me where they went?"

The lieutenant looked uncomfortable.  "I really shouldn't --"

"But you want to, don't you?"  Lucifer started exerting his charm on the woman.  "Come on, you know you can tell me."

After a short pause, the lieutenant caved and rattled off the address.  Lucifer flashed her a brilliant smile that would have made her legs go out from under her, had she been standing.  "Thank you so much, Olivia."

All his charm fell away as he left the lieutenant, and people quickly got out of his way after taking one look at the set expression on his face.  He strode to the elevator, determination in every step.

 

________________________________

 

 

Chloe sat next to Detective Hernandez on the couch in the small apartment, which was the epitome of drab.  In front of them sat a middle-aged Asian woman who kept wringing her hands.  Chloe was only there for back-up in case something happened, so she let the other woman lead the interrogation.  She wasn't too familiar with the case, anyway; Hernandez had filled her in, but she knew that she'd be back on her own case as soon as Gibson came back.  She was happy that the lieutenant had asked her to accompany the other officer.  It got her out of the office and away from the paperwork on the Harris case.  She loved being a detective, but absolutely hated the paperwork. 

She listened quietly to Linda Hernandez interview the woman.  Hernandez was a tough cop, a hard-as-nails woman who had been on the force for a good twenty years.  She was also one of the very few detectives who hadn't ostracized Chloe when the whole Palmetto incident occurred.  Chloe liked and respected her.

"So you had no idea that your husband was having an affair?" Hernandez asked, jotting down notes on her large notepad.

"None at all.  I told you this before," Mrs. Chang said.  "I thought he had gone to San Francisco for business.  I had no idea he was still in town."

"We found some papers in his briefcase indicating that he was to have a meeting in town with a Joshua Berman on the day he was killed.  Do you know Mr. Berman?"

A knock on the door interrupted the interview.  "Excuse me," Mrs. Chang said as she got up to answer it.  Chloe exchanged looks with Hernandez and waited patiently.  She could hear a man's voice, and it sounded very … familiar.  Chloe suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Mrs. Chang returned to the living room, with Lucifer in tow. 

"Oh god," Chloe muttered, dropping her head in her hands.  Hernandez looked at her, then Lucifer.

"What's going on?" the older detective asked.

"Hello, Detective… Hernandez, isn't it?  I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow my partner here.  You don't mind, do you?"  Lucifer turned on the charm.  Chloe was appalled to see Hernandez get a glazed, somewhat lustful look on her face.  The blonde detective immediately grabbed Lucifer by the hand and dragged him out into the hall.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed angrily.

"I came to get you.  We need to get you out of town immediately."

"What?!"  Chloe looked at him like he was insane.  "I'm in the middle of an investigation here!"

"Yes, and I'm terribly hurt that you went on a case without me, but we really must be on our way," he said as if speaking to a child.

"What is your problem?"

"There's no problem, we just have to –"

"I'm not going anywhere until Detective Hernandez and I finish interviewing this suspect."

"But—" Lucifer broke off as Chloe turned on her heel and marched back into the apartment.  "Bloody hell," he muttered to himself.  He thought this would be easier.  He followed her back inside and watched her resume her seat on the couch next to the other detective.  He sat in a nearby armchair.

"Now, Mrs. Chang, as I was saying, did you know Mr. Berman?"

"Well, I knew he was my husband's business partner.  He called here, sometimes."

Lucifer rolled his eyes and started tapping his foot.  Chloe shot him a dirty look, then returned her attention to the interview by Hernandez.

"On the day that your husband said he was leaving for San Francisco, did Mr. Berman –"

"Detective Decker, please, we really need to leave!" Lucifer suddenly interrupted.  Chloe, Hernandez, and Mrs. Chang all gaped at him. 

Chloe jumped up and dragged him to the far corner of the room, speaking furiously under her breath.  "If you can't behave yourself then you will wait outside, do you hear me?"

"But this is so _boring_ , and it's taking far too long.  We really have to go —"

"What is so urgent that you have to interrupt an investigation?"  Lucifer opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off.  "No.  Don't tell me.   I don't want to know.  Now either you just sit there quietly or you will go home.  Do you understand me?"

Lucifer gave a chastened nod, then said, "But you will come with me when the interview is over?"

"Yes.  Now stop acting like a freak."  She walked off to sit on the couch once again.  Lucifer frowned.  He did not like to be thwarted, and it was of the utmost urgency to get Chloe out of town.  A determined glint came into his eye.  He walked over to the seated Mrs. Chang and leaned over her.

"Right.  Hello, darling, let's cut to the chase, shall we?  Did you kill your husband?"

Both Chloe's and Hernandez' mouths dropped open again.  Mrs. Chang looked like she had swallowed a fish as she glanced at the detectives, then at Lucifer.  Hernandez looked like she was going to leap out of her seat and punch the tall man.

"Lucifer!" Chloe sputtered, but he turned, held up a finger for silence, then leaned back over Mrs. Chang.

"Come on, now.  How did you really feel about your husband?"

"I—"

"You know you want to tell me…." he urged as he exerted his charm.

"I-I hated him."

Lucifer straightened.  "Oh my!  Can you tell me why, darling?"

Mrs. Chang's eyes filled with tears.  "He was cheating on me.  Every other week he'd go on a ‘business trip.'  I suspected but I wasn't sure of it until a week ago, when his mistress called here."

"Oh my.  Well, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.  And so…?"

Mrs. Chang bit her lower lip.  Lucifer pressed his charm a little harder.  "Come on, Mrs. Chang.  The bastard was cheating on you.  His mistress called you.  What did you want to do?  What did you desire the most in that heart of yours?"

"I wanted him dead so badly!  You can't imagine the shame he put me through!  So I asked Joshua to arrange a meeting for me.  I told him I wanted to surprise Dennis for our anniversary.  When Dennis arrived, I shot him until he was dead."

Lucifer sat back on his heels triumphantly, and grinned.  "There now, doesn't it feel better to get that all off your chest?"

Mrs. Chang looked horrified at what she said.  Chloe and Hernandez exchanged looks, and then Hernandez stood and said, "Mrs. Chang, you are under arrest…"

 

________________________________

 

 

" _Now_ can we go?"

Chloe counted to ten while she watched Hernandez place Mrs. Chang in the back seat of her car and drive off.  She took a deep breath to stay calm, then snapped at the tall man next to her.  "What the _hell_ was that, Lucifer?"

"What?  I just solved your case for you.  Now let's _go_."

Chloe shook her head.  "God, how did I ever get stuck with you?" she muttered under her breath.

"Dad had nothing to do with it.  And you'll thank me later.  Now come on, we have to go."

"Will you at least tell me why?"

"Of course, but first –"

He broke off, looking down the street.  Chloe followed his gaze, to see some people headed their way.  The group was slowly growing, attracting people to its ranks as it got closer.   At its head was a statuesque, dark haired woman in a very revealing leather outfit.  Everything about the woman screamed sex.  She sauntered forward, her hungry eyes practically stripping them naked.

Chloe glanced back at Lucifer, to see that he had gone as white as a sheet. 

"Hello, Lucifer," the woman greeted.

"Hello, Mum."

Chloe stared at the woman, who gave her a very lustful look.  This was Lucifer's mother?!  No wonder he was so obsessed with sex -- she could just imagine what his childhood must have been like, with a mother like that.  Chloe felt a rush of pity for her partner.

"Who's your friend?" Lucifer's mother asked.

Lucifer's mind was racing.  He had the overwhelming urge to grab Chloe and hide her safely away that instant, but he knew if he showed any ounce of protectiveness toward her, his mother would devour her whole.  He jammed his fists in his pockets and struggled to sound as carefree as possible.  "This is Chloe Decker.  Detective, my –" he practically choked on the word, "-- mother.  Asherah."

Chloe gave her a smile and held out her hand.  "Hello, nice to meet you."

Asherah stared at her outstretched hand until it dropped, then stepped forward and reached out to touch the detective's cheek. Chloe immediately took a few steps back.  Asherah's eyes narrowed with puzzlement.  "That's interesting.  You don't seem attracted to me."

"Uh…. Should I be?" Chloe asked.  This was very much like the conversation she and Lucifer had had when they had first met….

"Mum, why are you here?" Lucifer interrupted, stepping in between the two women in order to divert his mother's attention. 

Asherah ran a finger down her son's chest.  "You know I have a bone to pick with you."

Lucifer's expression darkened and he batted her hand away.  "Not here."  He glanced around at the ever growing number of people slowly surrounding them.  "This evening.  In private."

"As you wish, dearie.  This evening, then."

The crowd started getting unruly as Asherah backed away and disappeared in the sea of people.  They pushed and shoved each other, pushing and shoving Lucifer and Chloe in the process.  Someone threw a punch; it caught Lucifer in the back and he stumbled forward.  Chloe tried to grab his arm but someone else shoved her and she nearly fell.

With a roar, Lucifer jumped into the fray.  He grabbed anyone he could get his hands on, and tossed them like rag dolls away from his partner.  He grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her quickly down the street until they were free and clear of the mob that was slowly starting to disperse.

"What the hell was that?" she panted as she came to a stop beside him.

"Right," he said darkly.  "You're leaving town.  Now."

 

________________________________

 

 

Lucifer remained strangely tight-lipped as he drove her to the station in his corvette.  Chloe argued that leaving at the drop of a hat was completely insane and she wouldn't do it, but he could not be deterred.  Before she knew it, he had talked with Lieutenant Monroe and had gotten her indefinite time off.  The lieutenant had called her the luckiest woman in the world, to have such a caring partner. 

Chloe did not feel lucky.  In fact, she felt pretty annoyed.

He followed her home in his car, which surprised her.  He usually was hell on wheels, driving like a madman on the streets, but he stayed behind her the entire time as if afraid she would change her mind and go back to the station.

"Right, where's your little spawn?" Lucifer asked as he pulled his car up next to hers in her driveway and hopped out.  "We need to get her, too."

"She's at her friend's house -- Lucifer!"  Chloe had jumped out of her car to intercept him, but he had already run into her house.  She flung up her hands and followed him in.

She found him in Trixie's room, grabbing things out of the little girl's closet and throwing them haphazardly on the bed.  He grabbed Trixie's tiny Frozen suitcase and crammed everything in, including a stuffed dog that was never meant to fit into something so small.

"Lucifer, what is going on?!" Chloe started pulling things out of the suitcase as Lucifer kept stuffing it all back in.  She felt like she had fallen into some weird parallel universe where her life was a sit-com. Finally she yelled, "Lucifer, _stop!_ "

He stopped.

But only for a moment, before he said, "Right.  We need to get you packed up as well."

He started to rush past her when she grabbed his arm and growled dangerously, "You are _not_ touching my things."

A delighted look came into his eyes and he said, "Ooh, Detective, something naughty you don't want me to see?"

Chloe took a deep breath before saying in a tight voice, "I want some answers.  _Now_."

Lucifer frowned, a disgruntled look on his face.  "Oh, very well, Detective. But we're wasting valuable time," he said.

"Now what is going on?  Why this sudden rush to get Trixie and me out of town?"

She watched him fidget uncomfortably.  "Does it really matter?"

"It matters to me, since we're the ones you're trying to get rid of."  Chloe frowned at him, concern marring her brow.  "If you're in some kind of trouble, I can help."

"I appreciate the offer, but no, it's a family matter."

Comprehension dawned on Chloe.  "Is it your mother?  You don't want her to meet us, is that it?"

He looked unhappily at the floor.  "Yes."

"It's okay, Lucifer.  We all have family members that embarrass us, but that's just how family is.  Granted, your mother seems a little weird, but I don't think any less of you because of it."

Lucifer shook his head, concern shining clear in his eyes as he met her gaze.  "You don't understand.   She's not quite right in the head," he explained.  "She's been locked up for a long time."

"She was in prison?"

 "You could say that."

"Well, if she's been in prison, it's only natural for her to want to visit her son now that she's free --"

"I was the one who put her away."

"Oh."

They stood in awkward silence for a minute or two, before Lucifer spoke again.  "Look, Detective, it's hard to explain, but it's of the utmost importance that you leave town with your spawn."

Chloe stared deep into his eyes.  "You're afraid… you're afraid she might come after us."

He nodded.  "Is there anywhere you can go?"

"Well, we can hole up here –"

"No.  No, too close to the beach."

"What does that have to do with –"

" _Please_ , Detective."

Chloe thought for a moment.  "Mom has a cabin outside of Running Springs, just off the 330.  She sometimes stays there instead of the house when she's between acting gigs, so that we don't end up killing each other."

"Lovely.  Leave for it as soon as you fetch your spawn."

"Look, there's no way I'm going to leave you.  Not if you're in trouble –"

"You have to."

"Lucifer, you're my partner.  If she's gunning for you –"

"Do you trust me?"

The question caught her off guard.  She stared up into his dark eyes, realizing that she would trust him with her life.  "Very much."

"Then trust me in this."  He gripped her shoulders firmly and gave her a deep, intense look filled with something she couldn't name.  It shocked Chloe into silence.  "Promise me, Detective.  Promise me you'll stay away until this ends.  Please."

She couldn't look away to save her life.  Her gut screamed at her to refuse, but she heard herself say, "Okay.  I promise."


	4. Mother and Son

 

 

Lucifer waited.

He paced his flat, wondering how he was going to fulfill the bargain he had made with his father, in exchange for Chloe’s protection.  Amenadiel could have used his angelic powers to take Asherah back to Hell for him, but he was gone.  Maze was also out of the picture, taking her hell-forged knives with her.  His best chance was to somehow kill Asherah's body and hope that Dad would take her back to Hell for him, but he had no weapon with which to do it.  It was a bloody awful situation.  He had considered a binding spell, but she was a goddess, and spells were notoriously unpredictable against a goddess.  It would probably just make her angry.

He poured himself a large glass of whiskey and wished that he could get roaring drunk, for once.  It was times like these that he envied the humans' ability to fall prey to alcohol.  There was nothing he could do but wait.  Evening fell, even though the summer sun was nowhere near to setting.  She would be arriving soon.

Almost as if summoned, she suddenly stood on his balcony, decked out in leather and carrying what looked like a club with spikes adorning its head.  "Hello, Lucifer," she said.

"Hello, Mum."

"So this is where you've been living, these past five years."   Asherah entered the flat from the balcony, looking around at the large penthouse.  Lucifer watched her warily, as if she was a dangerous tiger.  And she was that; his mother had always been an unknown quantity.  She could be loving one moment and furiously angry the next.  They circled each other, with Lucifer taking precautions not to let her corner him.  She stopped by his bar, admiring all of the expensive alcohol.

"Well, I must say you have good taste."  She turned and smiled at him.

Lucifer returned her feral grin with one of his own.  "Nothing but the best."

"Only the best for my boy.  That's so much like you, Luci."  She started to approach him, but he carefully kept out of her reach.  She pouted at him, and tossed her black hair over her shoulder.  "What kind of greeting is that?"

"Oh, I'd be more than happy to greet you properly if you weren't brandishing that thing," he quipped as he waved at her club.

Asherah smirked, her eyes glittering with dark humor.  "Oh, Luci, come now, I thought you'd be happy to see this." She held up the weapon.  "You recognize it, don't you?  It's a Hell-forged morning star.  I made sure to bring it with me when I left.  I thought it would please you.  A morning star is fitting for The Morning Star, don't you think?"  She laughed at her own joke.

Lucifer eyed the wicked-looking mace with spikes covering its head.  "Well, why don't you hand it to me then, so that the Morning Star can have his morning star?"

"Oh don't you worry, I'll hand it to you.  We have a score to settle, you and I."  She suddenly lunged forward, brandishing the weapon.  Lucifer barely dodged in time as she swung down at him.  The morning star shattered his coffee table.  "You've been a naughty boy," she snarled as she whipped the club up and turned on her son. 

Lucifer eyed the morning star.  His only chance to defeat her lay in wresting away the weapon from her, then using it against her.  He was glad Chloe was out of town; if she was here, he would be mortal and no match for his mother.

"You had to do your father's bidding, didn't you?  Always the lapdog," she said, and swung at him again.  The club's spikes raked him hard across the chest, tearing the fabric of his shirt as if it was paper and drawing blood.  _Too slow_ , he berated himself as he reeled away.  _Too damn slow._

"You killed thousands of people.  You set the world afire with your wars, Mum.  It upset Dad quite a bit," he panted as he dodged another swing of the weapon.

"He wasn't upset that I was causing wars.  He was mad because I had more worshippers than he did.  That arrogant bastard never could stand competition.  He was just jealous because I had more love – more power!  And you had to be the good son and do his bidding like a dog." 

"What did you expect?" Lucifer countered.  "You forget, I'm his left hand, Mother.  Carrying out his will and punishing those who deserve it was what I was born to do."

"Ha!"  She spat out the laugh and hefted the club again, looking for a place to strike.  "Left hand, my ass.  That's just what he told you, in order to control you.  He never had any feelings for you -- _never_.  I was the only one who loved you!"

She swung the morning star again, destroying his bar counter this time.  As she tried to pull the club free, he rushed forward and tackled her around the waist.  They went crashing to the floor, and he struggled to wrestle the morning star away from her.

But she was too strong.  He might have had a chance with his wings, but not as he was now.  She was a goddess, after all, far stronger than a maimed angel.  It was the first time he truly regretted telling Maze to cut his wings off.  Asherah punched him hard in the stomach, then kicked him away, sending him flying.  Lucifer crashed into his bookshelves, breaking them.  His mother stood up and dusted herself off as she eyed her son scrambling to his feet.  Blood trickled from his mouth.

"You're weaker than I remember," she said, a curious smile on her face.  "Much weaker.  I wonder why?"

Lucifer said nothing, looking for another opening.

"Maybe you've been with humans too long," Asherah continued as she approached him.  "Maybe one human in particular?  I must say she's intriguing.  My powers don't seem to affect her.  Maybe I should see what makes her tick.  Chloe Decker, you said her name was?"

Blood drained out of Lucifer's face at the mention of Chloe, and rage boiled up inside him at the thought of Asherah toying with her.  With a roar, he charged his mother and barreled into her with his shoulder, knocking her into what was left of the bar.  He grappled for the morning star as she lay in the rubble, but she punched him hard across the face, then swung the morning star down at him.

Lucifer cried out as the spiked mace ripped through his flesh and snapped his left collarbone.  She tore the weapon free and laughed.  Blood gushed from his shoulder and chest, making the floor slick.  He managed to roll away just as she swung the morning star hard at his head.  The force of her blow lodged it deep in the floor.  Asherah slipped as she tried to pull the club free. 

With a yell, Lucifer lunged up and knocked her off her feet and away from the weapon.  He struggled to restrain her, but he was losing blood fast, and she was too strong.  She easily broke his hold and struck out, aiming her fist at the center of his chest.  He twisted, deflecting the blow to his side, where it cracked his ribs.  She punched him again and again in the face; Lucifer could barely keep conscious.  Only the thought of Chloe kept him fighting.  He couldn't let his mother hurt her.  He would never forgive himself.

The goddess picked herself up and stomped on Lucifer several times, until he coughed up blood and lay still.  Almost casually, she bent down, grabbed him by the shirt, and slammed him like a rag doll into his piano, destroying the instrument and leaving her son a crumpled mess in the rubble.

Asherah sauntered over to the morning star and wrenched it out of the floor.  She fingered the weapon lovingly then walked over to stand over her son. 

"This is what you get when you side with that bastard instead of me."  She smiled down at his prone body.  "Poor boy," she cooed.  "Trying so hard to be Daddy's pet....  As if you could ever please him."  Lucifer stirred in the ruins of his piano, trying to pull himself up but failing.

"I could kill you, you know," she said as she squatted next to him and caressed his hair.  "Right here, right now, and end it all... but I won't.  Do you know why?  Because you're my favorite.  You always were, you know.  I have always loved you.  Your father never did."

Managing to turn his head, Lucifer gave her a baleful gaze.  "Y-you're wrong."

Asherah laughed uncontrollably.  "Still fooling yourself into thinking that master manipulator has any feelings for you?  He kicked you out of Heaven.  He made you a monster to his precious humans.  He dragged your name through the mud.  He used you. 

"He _never_ loved you.  Not ever.  Oh, he said he did, said he gave you such a great honor by choosing you to be his left hand, but it was all a lie, wasn't it?  He was just setting you up for the biggest fall in the history of the world.  And do you know why?  He did it because you remind him too much of me, with your passions and strong will.  That selfish bastard was afraid that you might follow in Mommy's footsteps and succeed where I didn't."

Her words cut like knives.  They had a ring of truth to them, even though he tried to deny it.  Had he been doomed from the start, because he was too much like Asherah?  Was there no way he could have ever gotten into his father's good graces?  He had wanted to be loved, to be treated as all his other brothers and sisters were treated -- dotingly, by his father.  But he had never gotten that, had he?  Even though he had done his father's dirty work as the Left Hand of God, his father had still set him up as his fall guy in order to manipulate humans with the dichotomy of good versus evil.  He was vilified for all eternity, hated by humans and angels alike.  He squeezed his eyes shut at the old, familiar bitterness.

She looked down at her son with a calculating look.  "I just had a wonderful idea.  Wouldn't you just love to stick it to your bastard father for turning you into the bad guy?  Just think -- what a blow it would be for him to lose his left hand.  The ultimate middle finger to the man." 

He tried to shake his head, but couldn’t.  He struggled to say the words: "C-can't….  Made… b-bargain…. H-have to s-send you back…."

"Why do you still have loyalty to that pig?  I could never understand your silly sense of honor.  Do you think _he_ has any honor?  The word is meaningless to your bastard father."  She bent down and leaned in close.  "We're so alike, you and I.  We have the same passions, the same hungers.  We both lust for a life that your father doesn't want us to have.  Don't you want to be able to do anything you want, without your father trying to impose his will on you?  Haven't you always wanted that?

"With me, you can have it all.  You are my favorite.  You always were.  I love you more than anyone else.  Don't you want to be loved?  Don't you crave acceptance and approval?  I can give you that."

Asherah stood up and gave her injured son a loving glance.  "I'll give you a week to think about it.  If I don't hear from you by then, I'll find you and finish the job I started today.  I'd choose wisely, if I were you."

Through swollen eyes, Lucifer watched his mother walk out onto the balcony and vanish as she teleported away. 

A few minutes passed before he felt it safe to call to his father.  He squeezed his eyes shut, and sent up a plea to the heavens.  "Dad," he whispered.  "Dad, can you –" A cough ripped through him, and he spit up blood.  "Can you hear me?

"I-it's not true, is it?  What she said?"  He coughed up more blood before continuing.  "Look, D-Dad, I know you've never thought much of me, but please tell me she's wrong.  I promised you I'd bring her back to Hell, but I can't do it without my wings.  Please, Dad.  Show me she's wrong.... Give me… m-my wings....  Please....  I need....  Dad?"

There was no response from his father this time -- no help from above.  So there it was.  His mother had been right.  Lucifer felt despair rip through him.  He should have known.

Now how was he going to keep his promise to his bastard of a father and get his mother back to Hell?  There was no one left he could turn to for help.  A bitter laugh gurgled up from his bloody lips.   Abandoned by everyone.  The story of his life. 

He gave in to the overwhelming pain, and let the darkness take him.


	5. Hospital Stay

 

 

"Why do we have to go to Nana's cabin?"

Chloe glanced at her daughter through the rear-view mirror before returning her eyes to the road.  Trixie sat in the back seat of the car with a mutinous expression on her face, clearly unhappy about having to leave her friends behind when it was summer vacation.

"It's just for a little while," Chloe reassured her, as she navigated the winding mountain road.  "You like being with Nana, don't you?"

"I want to be with my friends."

"I know, baby.  But it won't be for long, I promise."

Trixie crossed her arms in front of her, and stared out the window at the passing scenery.  "Why can't I stay with you?"

"Because Lucifer thinks this is for the best."

"Is Lucifer in trouble?" The little girl asked, her eyes big and worried.

"That's what Mommy is worried about," Chloe said as she pulled into the cabin's driveway.  She turned off the engine and stepped outside, breathing in the clean, mountain air.  Trixie had already leaped out of the car.  Despite it being the middle of July, the mountain communities stayed on the cooler side.  It was hot, yes, but not sweltering like in the valley.

Penelope Decker stepped out of the house to greet them.  Even though she was Chloe's mother, she looked much younger than she was.  She was dressed flamboyantly, as usual, which Chloe chalked up to her mother's profession as an actress.  A B-rated one, but an actress, nonetheless.

"Chloe!  Trixie!"  The older woman ran up to them and gave them both a hug and a kiss.  "So good to have you visit."  Penelope turned to her grandchild.  "Trixie, dear, why don't you bring your things inside?  I have some cake on the kitchen counter for you."

The little girl immediately perked up at that. "Is it chocolate?"

"Of course!  I wouldn't dream of getting anything else!"

Chloe bent down and gave her little girl a hug.  "Be good for Nana, okay, Trixie?"

Trixie gave her a big smile and a quick single nod of her head before dashing into the house; the two women watched her disappear before Chloe turned to her mother.  "Thank you for taking her on such short notice, Mom."

"Well, I'm just glad that I was taking a break from the convention circuit and was in town.  What's going on?" Penelope asked with concern.

Chloe shook her head.  "I'm not sure, but it's something bad.  I'm worried about Lucifer."

"Lucifer?  You mean that lovely gentleman you work with?"

 Chloe heard the interest in her mother's tone and sighed.  Her mom was always taking an interest in the men in her life, even though nothing was happening with anyone at the moment.   "Yes, Mom, Lucifer."  She bit her lower lip as she thought of her partner.  "His mother is in town, and it's rattled him... a lot.  I'd almost say he was scared, except I've never seen him afraid of anything.  He made me promise to stay up here until it was safe."

The older woman raised her eyebrows.  "His mother couldn't be _that_ bad, could she?"

"I don't know.  She was... odd."

Penelope knew her daughter well.  "You're going back, aren't you?"

Chloe nodded.  "I know I promised him, but I have to go back.  I'm worried, Mom.  If Lucifer is in some kind of trouble, then I want to help him."

That sounded very promising to Penelope, although a part of her wondered if her daughter was still juggling two men.  She put out her feelers and said, "Of course, Pumpkin.  Maybe Dan could help out, too?"

Chloe grimaced.  She hadn't told her mother about everything that had happened with Dan.  "No, Mom.  It's a long story, but Dan and I are... well, we're not really in a good place right now."

"I see."

"Anyway, I've got to get back.  Thanks for watching over Trixie, Mom."

"You be safe, Chloe."  Penelope hugged her daughter.

Chloe hugged her back then hopped into her car.  It was a long drive back to Los Angeles, and the more time that passed, the more worried she became.  A bad feeling had started creeping over her as she had talked to her mother, ramping up the anxiety she felt.  With a last wave to Penelope, she drove like a demon back down the mountain.

 

________________________________

 

She arrived at Lux just as the sun went down.  The club was packed to capacity, as usual.  She weaved her way through the crowd to get to the elevator that led to the penthouse.  The anxious feeling had increased considerably; she had tried calling Lucifer, but he wasn't picking up his phone.  She pressed the call button repeatedly on the elevator, willing the doors to hurry and open.  Did it always take this much time to get to his apartment?

After what felt like an eternity, the car reached the top of the building and the elevator doors opened.  She stepped out... into a disaster area.  The apartment was a complete wreck.  Fear gripped her.  "Lucifer?" she called out.  No answer.  She started picking her way through the rubble, when she caught sight of the piano – or rather what used to be the piano.  And the body in the middle of it.

"Lucifer!" she screamed as she rushed up and kneeled beside him. _Oh god, oh god, oh god...._

He was practically embedded in the splintered wood; she reached over and felt for a pulse.  Relief swept through her when she found one.   Her hands shook and she couldn't think.  She took a deep breath to calm herself, then reached for her phone and called dispatch. 

"This is Decker.  I need back-up and an ambo --" She rattled off Lucifer's address.

A groan from Lucifer had her tossing the phone down on the floor and reaching for her partner.  He slowly lifted his head and looked at her through one eye; the other eye was caked shut with blood.  "D-Detective?"

"It's going to be all right, just hang in there," she said as she whipped off her jacket and used it to stop the bleeding at his torn shoulder.  "Help's on the way."

"N-no, you... You can't be here." 

"Shhh, Lucifer.  Don't talk.  The ambulance is coming."

He shook his head – or tried to.  "Y-you're not safe.  She... she...."  He passed out again.

Chloe was relieved when he lost consciousness; he would be in less pain that way.  She tried to clear some of the rubble away from him to make him more comfortable, then glanced around the room.  "My god, Lucifer, what the hell happened here?"

 

________________________________

 

Chloe hated hospitals. 

The antiseptic smell, the white, sterilized walls, and uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room all got on her nerves.  She hated not being able to stay with Lucifer as the doctors worked on him.  She had been kicked out once they had arrived in the emergency room.  She leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her knees.  She hated the waiting.  She glanced at her watch; it had been over three hours.  Surely someone would call her in soon?

Her mind reeled as she reviewed everything in her mind again and again.  Lucifer was up to his neck in something bad, and she was sure it had to do with his mother.  He had said that she had been in prison for a long time.  Maybe she was part of some crime syndicate?  It would make sense; Lux's books were way too clean and there was no way Lucifer could have come out of nowhere without some help from someone shady.  Then again, Lucifer had said he had been the one to put her away.  Was Lucifer an informant?  Maybe he had turned state’s evidence against her?  Witness protection program would explain how he didn’t exist five years ago.  And his apartment....  His mother must be powerful enough to have a number of henchmen under her, because there was no way that there could have been that much damage without a whole bunch of guys trashing his place. 

"Lucifer, what have you gotten yourself into?" she asked herself. 

"Detective Decker," a nurse called out.  "You can come back now."  Chloe followed the nurse through the security door and past a number of full beds before reaching her partner.  A young doctor was waiting for her, chart in hand.

"Your friend is very lucky.  We tended to all his cuts and scrapes, reset his clavicle, and stitched up his shoulder.  He'll have to keep his arm immobile until the bone knits – four to six weeks.  There were four broken ribs, which will heal in time, and we stitched up the gashes on his chest.   It's amazing that he didn't have more internal injuries.  We've just given him a sedative; he'll rest comfortably for now."  The doctor pulled out his prescription pad and scribbled something down.  "Here's something for his pain.  We'd like to keep him overnight for observation."

Chloe nodded numbly.  "Can I stay with him?"

"Of course," the doctor said.  "We'll let you know when a room opens."

After the doctor left, pulling the privacy curtain closed behind him, Chloe took a seat by Lucifer's side.   The injured man slowly opened his eyes, appearing amazingly clear-headed for having just been given a sedative.  "Hey," she said as she brushed his dark locks back from his forehead.

Lucifer winced as he tried to move.  He gave up after a moment, and looked up at the detective, tracing over her facial features with a gentle gaze.  "You promised," he said hoarsely.

"Yeah, well, it's a woman's privilege to change her mind," she whispered back.   "How do you feel?"

"Like someone threw me into a threshing machine."

"Can you tell me who did this to you?"

An uncomfortable look crossed his face.  "It's nothing to worry about," he prevaricated.  "Just a family squabble."

"Was it your mother?"  Lucifer's silence told her all she needed to know.  "Lucifer, I have to arrest her."

"No."

"She almost killed you.  You can't just --"

"No," he said again, his face set with determination.  Then he smiled crookedly, and said, "Don't worry, Detective.  Just go back to your mother's cabin and be safe with your spawn."

She frowned.  He was not listening to her.  "I'm not leaving you, Lucifer.  You can say whatever you like, but you're my partner and I'm not going anywhere."  He opened his mouth to protest, but she placed a finger on his lips, effectively silencing him.  "My mind's made up.  Now is there anyone I can call for you?  Your brother?  Maze?"

Sadness deepened the lines on his face.  "No," he said bitterly.  "No one."

Chloe's heart ached as she studied the lonely man in the bed.  She took his hand in hers and squeezed.  "I'm here for you, Lucifer.  You just rest now. "

He took a long look at her, his dark eyes intense and filled with some emotion that she could not name, before giving in to the exhaustion that dogged him.  In a matter of minutes, he was asleep.

 

________________________________

 

 

They put him in room 4007, a private room in the corner of the wing.  Chloe was glad that he wouldn't have to share the room with anyone else.  The nurses got him situated, took his vitals, then told her that they would be back in a few hours.  Lucifer continued to sleep.  The nurses were very nice and brought Chloe a recliner so that she could sleep in his room, if she wished.  She didn't want to lie down, though.  She just wanted to stay by his bedside and watch over him.  His injuries had scared her.  She had never seen him in such a bad state, except for the time when Malcolm had shot him in the gut and he had collapsed.  He had gotten better right away that time, but this....  This scared her.

She pulled up a chair and sat next to him, holding his hand while he slept.  Perhaps she was overstepping the bounds of partnership, but it didn't matter to her.  She cared for Lucifer, enjoyed working with him, and she definitely felt... something for him.  Not the overwhelming lust that Lucifer would have wanted, but something... deeper.  Whatever she felt for him, it was still in its infancy stage, and she feared it might never have the chance to develop if something happened to him.

"Please get better, Lucifer," she whispered.  "Please.  I really...  I really care for you, and I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you.  Just... get better."  She placed her free arm on the bed and rested her head against it.  In time, she slept.

 

________________________________

 

Lucifer and Chloe were still holding hands in the dead of night, exhaustion placing them both in a deep sleep.  Unbeknownst to them, a glow began emanating from their clasped hands.  It slowly grew, bathing the room in its soft light, and quickly surrounded the pair.  It stayed there for a long while, then gradually faded away, leaving the room cloaked in darkness once more.


	6. An Unanticipated Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A HUGE thank you to ScooterThyme, who beta'd this for me. ScooterThyme, you are AMAZING and the BEST!!! :D

 

 

"Oh, bloody _hell_."

Chloe had to laugh at Lucifer's exclamation as the elevator opened and he could see his wreck of an apartment.  She helped him navigate the rubble.  She'd seen a flash of his old self when he was released from the hospital that morning.  As the orderly had brought a wheelchair to take him to the car, he'd snapped, "I am not a bloody invalid!"

Amazingly, he seemed to be healing quickly.  The bruises on his face seemed better, and he moved about as if his ribs didn't bother him as much.  His arm was in a sling, but she had the feeling that it wouldn't stop him from doing anything he wanted to do.  He seemed in better spirits, as well.  Chloe was surprised at his progress.  It didn't seem quite normal, but then nothing was ever normal with Lucifer.

"And I just had this place fixed from the last time!" he complained.  Chloe blinked.

"Wait, what?  This has happened before?"

Lucifer shrugged off her concern.  "Oh, no, that was a little tiff with my bro.  Nothing to worry about.  We made up soon after.  Lost all of my expensive spirits, though.  A pity, really."   His eyes were sad as he looked at the splintered ebony wood, ivory keys, and broken wires in the middle of the floor.  "I'm going to miss that piano."

"Well, we can start getting this place cleaned up, now that the CSI guys have come and gone.  You need to come down to the station and make a statement once you get a little rest."

Lucifer looked horrified.  "I most certainly will not."

Chloe stared at him disbelievingly.  "You're kidding, right?  Your mother tried to kill you!"

"You can't stop her.  She's too strong."

"Lucifer, we can put her away for attempted murder, or at least assault and battery.  All you have to do is press charges against her."

The tall man suddenly laughed harshly.  "Believe me, Detective, if it were that easy, I would have done it long ago.  But this is a family matter.  I'll take care of it on my own."

"Lucifer, you can't go all Dirty Harry on me and take her on alone!"

"That's not for you to decide."  He turned and faced her, his expression dead serious.  "You need to go to your mother's cabin."

"We've been through this before.  You're stuck with me."

Lucifer ran a hand down his face.  "You're a stubborn wench," he growled.

"Your mother is trying to kill you!  I am not going to leave you!"

"Despite what you may think, Detective, I _can_ take care of myself."

Chloe snorted in disbelief.  "Yeah, right, that's why I found you half-dead yesterday."

Lucifer threw up his free hand in frustration.  "Trust me, Detective, I will be fine.  But I won't be if something happens to _you_ , do you understand?"

Chloe stared at him in surprise, her mouth dropping open.  Lucifer was surprised, himself.  He suddenly felt very uncomfortable, and started looking everywhere but at her.  When he did finally look at her, he couldn't hold her gaze, and his eyes slid away quickly.  He looked down at the bloody and torn clothes he still had on from the day before.

"I... I'm going to change."

Lucifer made his escape to the master bedroom.  Luckily that room had been spared any damage.  His bedroom was wide open to the rest of the flat, but he hid in the master bathroom with its large walk-in closet.  He felt... very naked.  Not that nudity bothered him – it didn't.  He could walk around naked on the street all day without batting an eyelash.  No, it was this emotional nakedness that made him feel completely exposed, and it scared him.

He hadn't meant to tell the detective that it would upset him if anything happened to her.  That had just fallen out of his mouth like... like verbal diarrhea.  He rubbed his forehead in frustration.  This was not what he needed right now.  He didn't want Chloe to be his weak spot.  He didn't want to care about her... but he did.  Oh, he did. 

He undid the sling on his arm, grimacing in pain as he did so, and whipped off his shirt with a furious movement.  What was he going to do and how was he going to protect her, if she insisted on staying?  He wanted to hit something.  Instead, he reached for a black silk shirt.  As he did so, he felt something brush his back.  He blinked, then turned to look at the full length mirror next to him.

Young wings were growing out of his back.

They were hardly full size.  The white feathers weren't even developed yet; they were pin feathers, and very, very ugly.  "What the..."  He stared at his back in fascinated joy and horror.  Joy because now he would be able to face his mother on an even playing field.  Horror because how the _hell_ was he going to explain this to the detective without her looking at him like he was some sort of monster?         

His legs went out from under him, and he sat down hard on the floor.  He stared in the mirror for a long time.  He knew now why he was healing faster than he had expected, but he couldn't understand why he had wings.  His father hadn't given a damn as he lay in a bloody heap on the floor the day before.  So how...?  He glanced in the direction of the living room, as if he could see the detective.  His eyes narrowed.  Was it Chloe?  Had she somehow asked Dad?  But how would she know he needed them, and why would his father listen to her and not him?

"Lucifer?  You okay in there?"  Chloe called out from the other room.

"Ah... yes.  Yes, Detective!" he called back as he scrambled to his feet and folded his wings neatly onto his back.  He willed them to become as unnoticeable as possible.  They instantly became gossamer thin, molding themselves to his figure.  He slung on the shirt and was satisfied to see that his wings were practically invisible.  He could barely feel them.  He changed into a new set of trousers, grabbed a vest to complete the ensemble, then rushed back out, only to find her trying to pick up some of the mess in the living room.  "You shouldn't be doing that," he said.

"And you should be wearing your sling," she admonished.  "Do you want your collarbone to slip out of place before it heals?"

She marched into his room to retrieve the triangular piece of material.  He cocked his head as she put the sling on him, uncertainty all over his face.  "Do you believe in God, Detective?" he asked.

Chloe looked up at him with surprise.  "We've had this conversation before, Lucifer."

"Humor me."

A peculiar look crossed her features as she noticed his serious expression.  "Okay.  No, I don't.  Not the whole Bible stuff."

"So then you wouldn't pray to God?"

"Well, no, not really...."  She stared at him, perplexed.  "This is a weird line of questioning.  Have you been overdosing on your pain pills?"

He laughed a bit.  "No....  No, I assure you.  I'm feeling quite well this morning."

"Are you going to be okay here for a short while?  I need to run down to the station --"

" _No._ "

Chloe's eyebrows rose. "No?"

Lucifer backpedaled.  "I mean....  Well, I don't feel very good.  I have pain.  Lots and lots of pain.  Any chance you can stay here and look after me?"  He put on his most pathetic face with puppy eyes to boot.

"Lucifer --"

"I almost died, you know."

"You're such freak, you know that?" she said affectionately with a shake of her head.  "I'll call the lieutenant and see if I can get my business taken care of over the phone."

"Thank you, Detective."  He watched her pull out her phone as she made her way through the debris to the balcony outside.  Determination hardened on his face as he swore to protect her.  If she wasn't going to stay hidden from Asherah, then he'd be damned if he let her out of his sight. 

Chloe glanced back at Lucifer who watching her from inside his trashed apartment, then dialed Lieutenant Monroe.  "Hello, Lieutenant?  Chloe Decker.  I have a situation...."  She explained about Lucifer's assault and his mother who was behind it, but that Lucifer was refusing to cooperate.

"If Mr. Morningstar refuses to press charges, then there's nothing we can do," said the lieutenant.  Chloe sighed with frustration.

"Then put me on police protection detail.  She's sure to try again."  _Or he'll go after her_ , she thought darkly.

It took some convincing, but at last the other woman capitulated.  "Very well, Decker," she said.  "Take all the time you need.  Just make sure Mr. Morningstar stays safe."

Chloe hung up the phone and gave Lucifer a thumbs-up.  She'd be damned if she was going to let him out of her sight before they caught his crazy mafia mom.


	7. The Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super huge thank you to ScooterThyme, who beta'd this for me. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! You are awesome!!

 

 

They got along surprisingly well in the week that followed.

Lucifer moved slowly from his injuries, but he refused to take it easy.  Chloe worried about his safety, but he shrugged it off, saying not to worry.  Every once in a while, though, she caught him with a dark, anxious expression on his face that made her think that he was not as nonchalant as he wanted her to believe.

He had a club to run, so every day he would go downstairs to Lux to take care of business, with Chloe following him down and keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious.  Luckily, he was not attacked again.  His ninja bartender was nowhere to be seen, but Chloe assumed he had ordered her out of town for safety.  She could have used a second lookout, but perhaps it was better not having to butt heads with Maze.  He had workmen come into the apartment while they were at Lux, to clean up the mess and replace all the damaged furniture.  Chloe had never seen such efficient clean-up.  In two days, the place looked almost as good as it had before the attack.  He even had another piano brought in, a black glossy affair that was a beauty to behold.

Seeing how easily bored Lucifer became, she thought he wouldn't run the club efficiently, but he was actually very good at what he did.  He managed the everyday affairs with a deft hand, entertained when he felt like it -- he couldn't play the piano with his arm in a sling, but he still sung to the crowd in his beautiful voice -- and kept the patrons happy.  Many women and men flirted with him, and he flirted back shamelessly, but surprisingly, he didn't bed any of them.  Maybe out of respect for her?  She wasn't sure. 

When he wasn't tending to business, he plied her with very tasty meals that he either cooked himself, or that he ordered brought to the apartment.  He let her have long Skype sessions with Trixie and Penelope, and although he complained a _lot_ about her staying in his guest bedroom, he didn't push.  She still thought he was a twelve-year-old in an adult's body, and probably extremely emotionally damaged, considering the super-dysfunctional family he came from, but she found herself caring for him a little more each day.

At first Chloe had been certain that Lucifer would constantly try to bed her, but he didn't.  Oh, he made the usual flirty comments about sleeping together, but she got the feeling that it was only lip service… which was strange, when she thought about it.  She had expected him to be walking around naked all the time, flaunting his perfect figure in front of her, only he hadn’t.  If he wasn’t decked out in an elegant suit, then he was in his signature black silk robe.  She had been touched by his restraint.

Lucifer wasn't restraining himself just for Chloe's sake, though.  At any other time, he would have stripped down to nothing if it would have made her sleep with him, but now he had his wings to contend with.  The new appendages had reached full size, but the feathers were still developing.  He found them hideous.  He spent long hours in the bathroom removing their waxy coating in order to unfurl the feathers.  It was a tedious job, and he had considered asking Chloe for help, but what would he say?

"Hello, Detective!  You look stunning, as usual.  Would you mind coming into the bathroom and helping me wipe this disgusting coating off these grotesque wings of mine?" 

She would probably run out of the room screaming… or laugh her head off and tell him how he was the greatest cosplayer in the world.  It probably wouldn't even convince her that he was the Devil, which she remained remarkably obtuse about.  No, he had to do this himself.

Late at night when Chloe slept, he worked on his map, plotting anything that could be related to his mother, and watched a pattern emerge.  Day by day Asherah’s influence expanded as rumors of a super-cult in the South Bay area grew.  Reports of violence increased as well, and he could see where everything was beginning to culminate.  Small riots were breaking out all over the city, but the larger ones were in the Palos Verdes area.  It made sense – his mother would want to be somewhere by the ocean that had a view. 

So many people were getting hurt.  There were vicious attacks on places of worship – suicide bombings, car bombings, and mass shootings.  The news media didn't know what to make of it, since synagogues, mosques, and churches were all targeted.  But Lucifer knew.  Asherah’s worshippers were killing his father’s followers.    His father would want this cleaned up, and soon.

Almost a week after Lucifer had been attacked, Chloe found him out on the balcony of his apartment, staring up at the stars.  It was very late; Lux had just shut its doors.  He was in an unusually somber mood. 

"They look like tiny sparkling lights from here, don't they?  But up close they're gigantic balls of gas, and a single bright spark can set them bursting into flame," he said as she took a place by him at the transparent railing.  "When that happens, it's really quite a thing of beauty.  It’s too bad you can’t see it."

Chloe glanced at him, then back up at the stars.  For a long moment they stood together in silence, before she said, "A penny for your thoughts."

He smiled down at her.  "They aren't worth that much."

They looked out at the beautiful city lights.  Chloe finally asked him the question she had been wanting to ask for a while.  "So why did your mother get sent to prison?"

"Must I answer that?" Lucifer asked.

"You made me temporarily relocate my daughter and you won't press charges after being brutally attacked, so yes.  I think you owe me an explanation."

He sighed and looked away, his gaze distant.  "Mum started a war with Dad.  Many people died."

Chloe took that statement in and put it in perspective with the information she had worked out.  She figured that his crime syndicate family must have had a turf war within itself.  She felt sorry for Lucifer having been born into that family.  "So how did you get in the middle of this?"

"Dad asked me to... put her away.  I did."

"Good god, he pit you against your own mother?!"

He smiled wryly.  "Dad is hardly good, Detective.  Manipulative, yes.  Good?  Not so much."

They were quiet for a long moment, before he said, "Detective, do you ever feel like no matter what you do, you can never win?"

Chloe got the impression that he was talking about himself.  "What do you mean?"

He looked down at her, his eyes sad.  "Nothing.  It's not important."  He started to turn away, but she touched his arm and stopped him.

"Talk to me, Lucifer.  I'm your partner, and I'd like to think I'm your friend."

Lucifer looked deep into Chloe's eyes, and saw the sincerity there.  A warm feeling spread through his chest.  "You are my friend."

"Then talk to me.  What is making you feel so… hopeless?"

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I made a bargain with Dad that I would get Mum locked back up after she got out, in exchange for something... important to me.  I have to confront her, since I've given my word, but...."

"But…?"

"Mum said some things which my father didn't deny..."

"Like what?"

He tried to be flippant, so that saying the words aloud wouldn't hurt so much.  "Oh you know, the usual: Dad never loved me, he just used me, he doesn't care for me because I remind him too much of my crazy mother...."

Chloe was aghast.  "Lucifer those are awful things for her to say to you!"

"But true, it seems, from my father's lack of a response."  Chloe could hear the pain in his voice. 

"Lucifer, I'm sure your father loves you.  It may not seem like it at times, and he may not show it in the way you expect, but he does.  I'm sure of it."

Lucifer shook his head.  "I wonder.  He's a manipulative bastard, always doing things to get his own way.  He turned me into a bad guy for his stupid little chess game.  And here he is, using me yet again and I'm letting him."

He seemed so lonely and sad.  She frowned, trying to find some way to give him hope.  "Well, I can't speak for your father, but as a parent myself, I can tell you that I always want what is best for my child.  Trixie may not understand why I'm hard on her for things like not owning up to doing something wrong, but that's because it's my job to make sure she grows up to be a good, responsible human being.

"Sometimes parents do things that might seem cruel to their kids, but they do it because they love them.  Tough love, you know?  To make them stronger, better people.  Maybe it just seems like your father's using you.  Maybe he's hard on you, because he loves you."

Lucifer laughed bitterly.  "I very much doubt that Dad did everything he did because he loved me."

Chloe wanted to hug Lucifer's bitterness and sorrow away, but she had the feeling it would make him retreat into his shell.  So instead she said, "So what do you want to do, then?"

He stared at her with surprise.  "What?"

"What do you want to do?  What are your choices?"

"I… I gave my word, and my word is my bond.  I don't have a choice."

"Lucifer, you always have a choice.  The way I see it, you can do what your father wants and have her locked back up, or you can walk away from the both of them."

A harsh laugh escaped his lips.  "And there's the third option: Mum wants me to betray Dad and join her side." 

Chloe frowned.  "Is that something you're considering?  She almost killed you…."

He grimaced.  "It might feel satisfying sticking it to Dad, but no."  He sighed.  "It's just that… My mother asked me how I can keep my word to someone who hates me, and it makes me wonder, myself."

Chloe could see that it was tearing Lucifer apart.  "Honor is a beautiful thing, Lucifer.  It's such a wonderful quality that’s so rare these days.  You keep your word, because you are a good man."

He sighed.  "I think you are the only one who thinks so."

"I know so, Lucifer."  She gazed into his eyes.  "So what do _you_ want?  What does this –" she tapped his chest, "-- tell you to do?"

He regarded her with astonishment.  "I don't believe anyone's ever really asked me that before – well, other than Doctor Linda, but that's different."

"The most important thing you can do for yourself is to do things that feel right to you," she said.  "You have to be okay with it here… in your heart.  Don't do things just because someone wants you to.  Do things because _you_ want to.  Trust yourself and go all in.  And know that whatever you decide, I will stand by and support you, as your friend."

Lucifer stared down at Chloe, his heart feeling like it was going to burst.  No one had ever shown him such a whole-hearted show of support, not even when he was in Heaven.  No one had ever asked him how he felt or what he thought was best.  And here was this beautiful human beside him, giving him almost everything he had ever wanted.  Acceptance.  Support.  Friendship. 

He knew right then what he needed to do.

He needed to get his mother back to Hell.  Not for his father, but for Chloe -- because it was her world that was going up in flames.  And because it was the right thing to do. 

"Mother needs to be locked up," he said.

Chloe nodded.  "Okay, then.  First thing in the morning, we'll go down to the station and get an arrest warrant going.  I'll be with you all the way, Lucifer.  Well do this together. I won't let her get away, and she'll never hurt you again."

________________________________

 

The next morning, as the sun came up, he took a look at his wings in the mirror.

They had finished their growth, and the feathers were now a beautiful, fluffy, pristine white.  He stretched the fully developed limbs in the walk-in closet.  The area was a little too small to extend them fully, but that couldn't be helped.  They felt weak, not having been used for flight yet.  Lucifer worried that they might not be able to support him.  Well, they would have to do.  He folded his wings and got dressed, but left the sling off of his arm.  His collarbone still felt a bit tender, but it was tolerable.

It was still early.  He quickly whipped up an omelette for Chloe and started some coffee.  Then he wandered over to the guest bedroom and quietly peeked in.  He could see her from the doorway -- she was sleeping soundly, her hair tousled around her peaceful face, making her look incredibly young and innocent.  Her soft, gentle snores made him smile.

He stared for a long time, memorizing her face.  Was it wrong to want an image of her to take with him into battle?

Almost as if she sensed Lucifer watching, she stirred, and opened her eyes to see him leaning against the door frame.  "Hello," she said groggily.

"Good morning, Detective," he said in a warm voice.  Then he shook himself and straightened.  "There's breakfast waiting for you when you wake up."

"Mmmph," she muttered as she rolled over.  "Give me fifteen minutes.  I'll be up by then."

It took a little longer than fifteen minutes, but she finally managed to get up.  She hopped in the shower and dressed.  Today they would go after Lucifer's mother.  She knew he was worried, but she would be there for him.

The fragrance of coffee and something delicious greeted her nose as she walked into the living room.  "Something smells good," she said, then realized that the room was quiet.  Too quiet.  "Lucifer?" she called.

Nothing.

A bad feeling started in the pit of her stomach and she started searching the apartment, calling his name in a voice that grew more and more alarmed as she came across only empty rooms.

He was gone.

_"Shit!"_


	8. The Morning Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my AWESOME beta, ScooterThyme, for reviewing this chapter and making it so much better! You are the BEST!

 

 

"Dammit, Lucifer!What the _hell_ are you doing!?"

Lucifer smiled as he heard Chloe’s voice over his cell phone.   "And a good morning to you too, Detective.  I'm so glad to see you woke up.  Did you enjoy the omelette I made you?" He held the device away from his ear as she swore at him like a sailor.

"Language, my dear Detective!" he said with a carefree laugh that belied everything that he was feeling.  Determination had him speeding down the 110 Freeway in his two-seater, weaving in and out of traffic as he headed south.  He had decided to drive instead of trying out his wings, for he couldn't afford to tire them out – he would need as much strength as possible for the upcoming fight.

"Lucifer, don't you dare tell me you're going to confront your mother –"

"Very well, then, I won't tell you."

"You can't do this alone!"

"I beg to differ, I believe I am doing it right now."  Lucifer heard her strangled cry of frustration.  "Listen, Detective, this is something I must do alone, and I can't afford to have you with me."

"Lucifer –"

He hung up on her cry, then turned off his phone.  The Corvette shot forward as he pushed down on the accelerator.

________________________________

Chloe practically screamed with rage as he hung up on her.  She immediately called Dispatch and rattled off Lucifer's number, requesting a ping in order to locate him.  She barely restrained herself from throwing her phone across the room when they told her he had turned off his phone.  She couldn't believe he was going to confront his mother alone, without backup.

"Okay, calm down," she told herself.  "There must be something here that will tell you where he went."  Chloe frantically looked around the living room and by the bar, but there was nothing.  She searched his study and bedroom but there was nothing there, either.  She doubted there would be anything in the bathroom, but she checked there anyway.

Chloe hit paydirt when she went into the master closet -- there was a map of Southern California lying open on a chair there.  She recognized it as the map she had seen him working on a week ago, before this whole madness had started.  Lucifer had said it was a family matter, when she had asked him about it.  He must have known then that his mother was out of prison and looking for him.  There were marks all over the map, but the most seemed to be clustered in Rancho Palos Verdes.  Lucifer had drawn a circle around one area – Portuguese Bend.  It had to be where he was headed.  Not LAPD jurisdiction, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.

She got back on the phone with Dispatch as she grabbed her car keys and rushed for the elevator.  "This is Decker.  I need you to patch me through to the LA County Sheriff's office.  We've got a situation."

________________________________

Lucifer would have liked to have sped along Palos Verdes Drive, but the throngs of his mother's mindless worshippers clogged the road.  He inched along in his Corvette, until he finally got frustrated and parked it by the roadside.  He could see a bluff in the distance – Portuguese Point.  It was where he had figured his mother would be, with its beautiful view of the sea.  There had been massive, violent attacks on the churches in this area, all far worse than in other parts of the South Bay, as well as multiple riots – very unusual for such a quiet community.  It all pointed to Asherah.

He reached the entrance to the nature preserve and shoved past the humans assembled there.  It took a while to reach the cliff; the hike was easy but it was hard to move quickly through all of the people.  There was a clearing up ahead at the tip of the promontory, where he could see his mother receiving gifts and tributes the humans brought her.  Lucifer pushed his way forward, until he stood before her at the clearing.  The view from Portuguese Point was spectacular; he could see why his mother had chosen this place as her new "church."

"Well, look who's here?"  Asherah said, quite pleased.  "So you've decided to join me."

He shook his head.  "I'm not joining you, Mum."

"And yet you're here.  Why?"  She studied him, her head cocked.  "Is your father pressuring you into fighting me?  Because you don't have to.  Join me.  Be my son again.  We would make an unbeatable team."

"I can't."

Anger made her face ugly.  "Surely you can't still be loyal to your father?  After all that he's done to you?  He betrayed you -- used you!  He turned you into a villain for all eternity.  Your name is synonymous with evil incarnate! "

Lucifer clenched his jaw, but said nothing.

"No one will ever look at you with anything but contempt." Asherah continued.  "People will hate you forever, and it is all your father's fault.  He will never love you -- not like I can."

The words hurt, but Lucifer held his ground.  "That may be true, but I still have to get you back to Hell."

"I don't understand you, my son.  How can you still do his bidding?"

He shut his eyes for a brief moment, seeing Chloe in his guest bed, sleeping peacefully with her hair in glorious disarray all over the pillow.  He held onto the image like a talisman.  "I'm not doing this for him."

"Then why?"  She laughed and threw her hand out, indicating all the worshippers around her.  "Surely not for them?"

"A lot of innocent humans are dying because of you."  He took a step toward her.   "Please.  You have to go back."

"Why should I go back?  I have everything I need, right here.  Look, Luci, _look!_ "  She waved her hand at the masses of people she had under her control.  "Look at them.  They are willing to die for me, and you as well, if you let them.  Already they take vengeance for me.  It won't be long before my fire will spread across this world and your father's humans will all be dead."  Asherah began to speak in a soft, coaxing voice.  "Come, my son.  Forget these human sheep.  Betray your father and be _my_ left hand.  You would never be hated or feared.  People will love you -- worship you -- as they love and worship me.  This entire world will be ours.  It would be a beautiful thing, Lucifer.   _Samael._  My boy."

Lucifer squeezed his eyes closed, trying to resist the pull of her power as it washed over him.  Yes, it _would_ be so easy to betray his father, who had never loved him.  Why not become that monster that everyone already thought he was?  He could show them all that he wasn’t a trifle to be toyed with, then discarded.  Why not just let the earth burn, and the heavens as well?  It would be so easy....  So easy....

The thought of Chloe suddenly surfaced through the hate-induced fog.  What would she think if he betrayed his father and lost all honor and integrity?  How would she react if he let her world go down in flames?  Chloe, who trusted him.  Believed in him.  She would look at him with nothing but contempt and fear, and he would be truly lost....

That horrifying thought snapped him out of his mother's spell, and he shook his head to clear it.  Rage began building inside him.  He opened his eyes -- eyes which glittered with fire in his hard, unyielding face.  "Samael is no more, Mother.  My name is Lucifer."

He started striding toward her and saw the smile fall from Asherah's face, to be replaced by sadness and disappointment.  He reflected bitterly that it seemed disappointment was all he was capable of eliciting from his parents.

Asherah suddenly rushed him, brandishing the morning star.  Lucifer threw himself out of the way.  He wanted to get her back to Hell, but he first had to get that nasty weapon out of her hands.  His newly healed ribs protested as he tried to tackle her while she swung the club.  She backhanded him with the blunt end of the weapon, catching him across the face.  The force threw him to the ground a good distance away.   _Stay calm,_ he told himself as he spit blood out of his mouth.  He was stronger than he had been.  He just had to stay centered.

He scrambled to his feet as Asherah rushed him again and kicked him in the chest.  His body snapped back and he fell perilously close to the edge of the cliff.  The morning star came whistling down; its spikes scraped the side of his face as he dodged the blow.  He lunged at his mother, catching her around the waist and forcing her back.  He fought for possession of the morning star, grappling with his mother fiercely.  Desperation made him strong.  His life, the humans' lives, _Chloe's_ life depended on his success.

Suddenly hands were grabbing at him from behind, pulling him away from his mother.  Asherah had mobilized her mindless worshipping slaves; they punched and kicked Lucifer.  But these were humans he was fighting now, not a goddess, and he had all of his angelic strength back.  He fought them off easily, tossing them left and right until they fell back.

"What's the matter, Mother?" he asked angrily, his eyes glowing red with power and fury.  "Can't fight your own fights?  Afraid that I might best you?"

There was fear in her eyes, although she boasted proudly, "You can never beat me.  I am a goddess!"

"I bested you before," he reminded her as they circled each other again.  She swung the club -- it caught him across the chest, tearing his shirt and raking his old wounds.  As she pulled back her arm for another blow, he tackled her once again.  She kicked out at him, catching him in the stomach, then she brought the club down onto his damaged shoulder.  Lucifer cried out as the weakened clavicle broke again, but this time he grabbed the club's handle and pried the damn thing out of his mother's hands.  He staggered back quickly, then ripped the weapon out of his shoulder and threw it as hard as he could into the ocean.

He turned toward his mother, panting hard.  He could see the fear beginning to build in her eyes as she took a step back, and that made him hesitate.  Despite everything she had done, despite all of the hatred and violence she had caused, deep down he still loved her.  She was his mother.  He might be a fool, but he still loved both his parents, even though his father was a manipulative bastard and his mother was a psychopath.   "Please, Mum," he entreated.  "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.  Please surrender and go back to Hell."

"To that place of madness?   _Never._  You can never make me go back," she snarled.

"You _will_ go back.  I'll make sure of it."

"Because you're the Left Hand of God?" she sneered.

"No -- because I am the Morning Star."  He reached deep inside himself, and found the core of immense angelic power that rested within his very essence.  It had been lost to him for five years, but he hadn't realized how much he had missed it until he had it back again.  He grasped it with his entire being and brought it forth.  A glow started emanating from his body, until his brilliance rivaled a thousand suns.  His light engulfed the whole area, temporarily blinding all of the humans under his mother's control and destroying the thrall that the goddess had placed them under.

Asherah shielded her eyes, holding fast as the very air started to crackle and spit with electricity.  Lightning arced between Lucifer's hands, and an orb of pure energy started to form.  It was a miniscule version of what he had used to light the stars in the sky, so many eons ago.  He took care to control what he brought forth; after all, he didn't want to destroy the whole city and Chloe with it.  With one great thrust, he threw the orb at his mother.

She threw up an energy barrier, blocking his power – but only for a moment.  The fire that had once lit a billion stars burned through her shield and hit her full on in the chest, throwing her back into the mass of humanity behind her.  She tumbled to the ground, stunned and temporarily drained of her powers.

Exhaustion ripped through Lucifer as he returned to normal, and he sank to his knees.  His light had taken much more out of him than he cared to admit – it had nearly drained him completely.  He didn’t remember it being this exhausting.  Maybe it was due to his injuries, or perhaps it had been too long since he was the Lightbringer and the Morning Star, but it didn’t matter now that his mother had been overpowered.  He watched Asherah struggle to her feet, disoriented, and lurch toward him.  He stood, wavered a bit, then steadied himself.

"Let's go, Mum," he said and held out his hand to her when she reached him.

________________________________

Chloe and the county sheriffs reached the clearing at Portuguese Point, and struggled to make their way through the crowds.  The people were almost zombie-like and ignored them, although they obstructed the way forward.  Suddenly, a brilliant flash burst forth, bathing everything in its light.  Chloe threw up an arm, shielding her eyes, until the glow died.  What had that been -- dry lightning?  Without a cloud in the sky?  Was that even possible?  She blinked to clear her vision, and saw the mass of people lying on the ground, groaning.  They slowly pulled themselves up, and the din of their voices grew louder and louder as more woke up from their strange trance.

She glanced ahead, toward the bluff.  Lucifer was standing at the cliff’s rim, holding out his hand to his crazy mother.  Fear swept through Chloe.  The woman was close enough to shove him over the edge.  She had vowed to protect him, and she'd be damned if she failed now.  She whipped out her gun and rushed forward, yelling, "Freeze!  Police!"

________________________________

Lucifer heard Chloe's yell, and he looked up, startled.  When had she arrived?  Panic for her safety filled him.  "Chloe?!"

Asherah took one look at his face, then at the detective, and smiled.  She glanced at the sheriffs flanking Chloe, and flexed what little power she had left.  They fell under her thrall immediately, and grabbed Chloe from behind.  One pulled his gun.

"No!"  Lucifer cried out when he saw what was happening.  Chloe was too far away for him to stop the sheriffs she was now struggling against, and his mother stood before him, blocking his path.

Asherah laughed ruthlessly.  "Say goodbye to your pet human, Lucifer."

Time seemed to slow as he watched the cop release the safety on his gun.  Chloe was going to die and he didn't have any power left to stop what was happening.  Panic filled him in that split second as all of his fears started taking shape before him.   _No._  Resolve surfaced within him.  He had sworn to protect her, and he'd be damned if he failed now.  He had to end this -- and suddenly he knew what he had to do.  His eyes sought Chloe's and he tried to convey all the feelings he had for her in that one glance.  Then, before his mother had any idea of what he intended, Lucifer grabbed Asherah tightly and propelled them both off the edge of the precipice.

"Lucifer!"  Chloe screamed as she broke the sheriffs' hold on her.  She rushed forward.  The cop behind her blinked and lowered his gun as Asherah's hold on him slipped away.

Chloe sprinted to the edge of the bluff, but it seemed like her legs were jelly and she just couldn't get there fast enough.  She pumped her legs hard as her mind screamed, _No no no no nonononono!_

She fell to her knees at the edge and peered down the cliff, her eyes frantic and searching.  There was nothing below but rocks and the roiling sea.

 


	9. Descent into Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much, ScooterThyme, for being an awesome beta and helping me fix up this chapter!! You totally ROCK!!

 

 

" _Lucifer!_ "

Lucifer heard Chloe scream as he threw himself and his mother over the cliff.  For a brief second, he feared that he would be mortal and die; but if that happened, then so be it.  With any luck, his mother would die as well, and get sent back to Hell by Dad.

The air whooshed past him as they fell, faster and faster toward the sea below.  Asherah screamed in fury and clawed at him, bloodying his arms and sides.  He gritted his teeth and hung on with all the strength he had.  She was strong, but he was determined not to fail.  Halfway down to the water, his new wings exploded from his back and burst through his clothes in a flurry of shredded material.

He could have opened his wings to slow his descent; instead he tucked them in and willed himself to go faster.  A huge plume of water spewed up when they made impact with the ocean’s surface.  Lucifer's angelic powers kept them safely enveloped as they plummeted faster and faster downward.  He didn't know how long they fell, but he could see strata of earth roaring past them.

At last he could see the border of the mortal realm.  Beyond that, Hell.  Asherah seemed to realize where they were headed, for she had stopped fighting him.  Instead she continued to scream, seemingly without end.  Bloody hell, he wished she would just shut up.

Just before he would have slammed into the barrier separating the two realms, a giant maw opened before him, as if to welcome him home.  Lucifer aimed for it.  As soon as he entered the Hellmouth, flames burst around him as his velocity set the thick atmosphere afire.  They shot across the sky of Hell like a streaking comet.

Lucifer tried to unfurl his wings.  The hot air singed his feathers; some of them caught fire.  He tucked them back in, trying to protect them.  The shield his wings' divinity lent him was no protection against the fires of Hell.  Heat tore his human visage away, revealing his true face.  It was a repeat of the last time he had fallen, but there was more pain this time.  Lucifer knew exactly where he was, and where Asherah's cell was located.  He aimed for it, and in a matter of seconds, they had arrived.

They were going too fast; he forced his wings open but the force of the rushing wind tried to push the appendages back behind him.  Pain ripped through his young wings from the pressure, but he kept at it until he could slow them down enough to land.  He was rusty, and it showed -- he hit the ground hard, and they both rolled to a stop.  Before Asherah could get her bearings, Lucifer shoved her into the cell, slammed the door shut, and threw the bolt home.

"Lucifer, you can't do this to me!  I'm your mother!" she screamed through the door.

Lucifer said nothing as he leaned against the cell door, panting hard.  The journey had been more difficult than he had expected.  It had been a long time since he had flown, and his wings were new and weak.  It took a lot of effort, but he pulled his glamour around him, restoring his human appearance.  He wiped the sweat from his forehead and then looked down at the charred remains of what was left of his suit.  Damn, and it had been a mighty fine Prada suit, at that.

"Lucifer, son, please!  You have to let me out!"

"I'm sorry, Mum," he said as he found his voice.  "But I made a deal with Dad.  You also tried to kill Chloe, and that was unforgivable."

Asherah laughed.  "Why so protective of your pet?  She's just a human," she mocked through the door.  "Or could it be....  Has my boy finally fallen in _love_?"

"Shut up, Mum."  Lucifer kept his voice firm and steady, even though he blanched at his mother's words.  Was that what this feeling was, this feeling that had been building in him for weeks?  Was love this need to be with her always, to please her, to be willing to die for her?  The revelation hit him like a ton of bricks, and his hands shook.  Blast and damn, he needed to get a hold of himself.  He couldn't let his mother know that she had rattled him.  She'd just use it as a weapon against him.  To give his hands something to do, he started locking up the chains around the door.

"Oh, this is rich," she chortled.  "Lucifer has finally fallen in love.  And with a _human_ , no less!"

"Mother, _shut up._  You don’t know the meaning of the word."

"I know what love is, Lucifer.  I loved your father, I loved you... and my people loved me."

"Your version of love is a sick perversion of the real thing."

"As if you know what real love is," she mocked.  "Do you really think your bastard of a father is going to allow you to consort with his precious humans?  You know what a dick he is, Luci.  You _know_ it.  He uses people.  He's using you right now, because he can't stand a little competition in the worship department."  When he stayed silent, she said, "Don't be a fool, boy.  He will never let you be happy -- _never_!"

Lucifer leaned his forehead against the door, fear running through him.  He knew what a bastard his father was, how he manipulated anyone and everyone just to get what he wanted.  But this was different, wasn't it?  His father wanted him to get Asherah back to Hell; he had done it.  Hadn't he held up his side of the bargain?  Surely his father wouldn’t deny him a little happiness?

"Open the door, son," Asherah cajoled.  "Let's start over, you and I.  We can rule the earth together, and you know I would let you keep your pet human."

"No," he snarled.  "You'd use her, then kill her."

"Nonsense.  You've been talking to your father.  I'm the Goddess of Sexuality –"

"And War.  I know who you are, Mum.  And I also know that you will never forgive me for locking you up a second time, so you can just bloody well shut up."

Lucifer straightened and started to walk away, ignoring his mother's pleas.  His staggered a bit like a drunken man, from loss of blood.  His eyes went skyward.  There was no sign of the Hellmouth, but he would need to get closer to it for it to sense him and open.  It was the way he had escaped Hell last time, and was counting on it to work now.  He didn't want to stay in Hell one minute more than he had to.   He wanted – needed -- to get back to earth... to Chloe.

He flexed his wings.  They were tired and ached from the stress of the fall, but it felt so good to have them again.  He inspected his feathers.  He had lost a few, some looked singed, but most were still serviceable.  More importantly, the flight feathers were intact.  Good.  He had been worried that they had burned in his descent.  Spreading his great white wings wide, he launched himself upward.

It wasn't easy; he wobbled a bit, but soon caught the currents of the hot desert wind that always blew through the cavernous landscape.  The muscles in his wings hurt, but pure willpower kept him flying higher.  It became hotter the higher he went, but he kept on.

He didn't know how long he flew.  Exhaustion ripped through him and his muscles screamed in pain, but he kept on pushing himself.  The thought of Chloe on the other side spurred him on.  When at last he thought that he would never make it, he finally reached the boundary to the material world.

But there was no Hellmouth that opened to release him.  He pushed on the barrier that separated Hell from Earth, threw himself against it, but the portal stayed stubbornly closed.

"No, no, _no..._.!" he yelled as he kept trying to break through.  He started  pounding frantically.

"You bloody bastard!" he yelled up at his father.  "I've kept my word – Mum is locked up again!  Now let me out!"  He threw himself relentlessly at the barrier over and over, as if he could open the portal through pure stubbornness.  But it held fast, and the Hellmouth did not reappear.  Finally his body gave in to sheer exhaustion and he dropped like a stone from the sky.

He hit the ground of Hell so hard that a huge crater formed around him, the concussion rippling the ground for miles.  Lucifer lay broken in the center of the depression, too weak to even lift himself up, too injured to even move.  Tears of failure and loss welled up in his eyes, and he wept.


	10. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge, huge THANK YOU to my fantastic beta, ScooterThyme, for reviewing and making this chapter what it is! Thank you so so much! You're the best!!

 

 

Even after searching the ocean and along the cliffs for days, they never found any trace of Lucifer or Asherah.

It affected Chloe badly.  When she had gotten home the first night, she just sat in shock on the couch.  Dan had come by to check on her.  He didn’t like Lucifer, but he was sympathetic, since the club owner had gotten him an excellent lawyer who had finagled a deal with the police department.  Chloe knew Dan was trying to help, but she just didn't want to see him.

No matter how many times she turned it over in her mind, she couldn't make sense of the strange events that had occurred.  The sheriffs had suddenly held her back when she had yelled at Asherah to freeze – why had they done that?  If they hadn’t, she might have been able to prevent Lucifer from committing murder/suicide with his mother.  And why didn’t Lucifer let her arrest his mother?  Had he been so desperate put an end to things that he felt the only solution was to kill them both?  Chloe’s mind went over it a thousand times and she still couldn’t fathom what her partner had been thinking.  Why hadn't he let her help him?  She found herself alternating between unreasonable fury, guilt, and sadness.

She stopped by Lux after all the searches were called off.  The club seemed so empty and lifeless, even though it was packed full of people.  Maze was there, looking even more angry and remote than usual.  Chloe hadn't seen her in a while, but didn't ask where she had been. She told the bartender about the attack on Lucifer, and the resulting murder/suicide that had followed a week later.

“So he’s gone,” was all Maze said.

"What will you do now?" Chloe asked her.

She shrugged.  "Stay here, run the club.  I can't go back home."  Her mouth twisted wryly.  “You never know.  He could come back.”

Chloe shook her head at Maze’s denial of Lucifer’s death, but said nothing.  She understood.  She wished Lucifer could return, as well.  It hurt to think of Lux without him.

"Maybe Amenadiel can help you run this place, then?"

Maze actually snarled at Chloe, then let out such a stream of curse-laden invectives that the detective's mouth dropped open.  The bartender finally finished with: "That bastard.  This is all his fault.  He should have let me do my job.  If I ever see him again, I'll gut him like a fish and stomp on his entrails."  Chloe left after that.

Life returned to normal, but not for Chloe.  Lucifer's death took a toll on her at work.  She was always tired.  She couldn't concentrate.  She kept thinking that he'd suddenly appear and start making inappropriate comments.  Little things reminded her of him.  Sitting in the car would bring back memories of stake-outs they shared together.   Sometimes she would work on the computer and feel him behind her, looking over her shoulder at the screen.  Every so often, she would hear a random voice and think that it was him.  It seemed he was always with her, but just beyond her reach.

The last glance they had shared haunted Chloe --it had been full of some unnamed emotion that she could sense even at the great distance that had separated them.  Sometimes when she closed her eyes, she would find herself right back on that cliff.  In that split-second that their gaze would meet, Chloe would see him trying to tell her something with his eyes, and then he would be gone.  Her mind would replay the moment over and over, as if it could change the course of events, but then she would realize nothing could change the past and she would sink into mind-numbing depression.

What really hurt her was the regret she had about her relationship with Lucifer.  It had been slowly building, and she had started to feel something deeper than friendship for the eccentric club owner.  That was all gone, now.

Lieutenant Monroe ordered her to take time off.  Chloe had three weeks of vacation coming to her, so she took them.  She went to fetch Trixie from Penelope's cabin, but she didn't know how to tell her daughter that Lucifer was gone.  Then again, it was always best to be honest.

"Trixie, I have something to tell you...."

Her little girl took it hard.  She didn't believe it at first.  She insisted that Lucifer was still alive, but Chloe was firm.  She didn't want Trixie to be waiting for someone who would never come.  It took a lot of convincing, but finally her daughter accepted her words.  Trixie loved Lucifer and was heartbroken that he was gone.  They both moved about the house like zombies, shells of their former selves.  Chloe missed him terribly.  When she realized that she didn't even have one photo of him decorated in her house, she broke down and cried.  She went to her computer to pull up the old security tape of him shoving a man through a plate glass window, zoomed in on his face, and played it repeatedly, just to feel closer to him.

And then the dreams started.

At first they weren't much -- just a sensation of falling that caused her body to jerk and wake her.  Then as time passed, the falling sensation became longer and longer and she got used to the feeling.  Gradually it changed into a dream of falling, and she could see the world rushing past her as she fell down, down, down....

The dreams were disturbing.  Chloe wondered what they meant, for she no longer dreamed normal dreams.  In every dream she fell, only to jolt awake.  And no matter how hard she tried to dream of Lucifer, just so that she could be with him in some way or fashion, her dreams stayed stubbornly empty of him.  Chloe figured that the falling dreams had to be related to her grief, considered going to see Doctor Martin for some help.

Two weeks after going on vacation, Chloe took Trixie to her friend's house for a birthday party, then returned home and lay down on the couch.  She was so tired.  She closed her eyes and prayed that she could fall into a deep, dreamless sleep for once.

She was falling again.  Faster and faster she fell, as the world sped past.  She didn't know how long she fell; it felt like forever.  But this time she stayed with the dream -- she was just too tired to wake up.

She suddenly found herself walking down a long corridor of stone jail cells, with giant square rocks peppering either side.  The stone doors were all locked, and some even had chains on them.  Chloe didn't know how she got there; like a usual dream, one moment she was falling, the next, she was in the hall.  White flakes fell from the sky.  She had first thought it was snow, then realized it was ash.  The air smelled acrid, smoky, and its heat burned her lungs when she inhaled.

There was someone walking ahead of her, not easily recognizable through the ash-laden air.  Chloe hurried forward, trying to catch up.  The closer she got, the better she could see.  It was a tall figure of a man with dark hair, wearing a custom-tailored suit, and she immediately thought of Lucifer.  But the walk was wrong…. Slow, shuffling, like an old man.  And the beautiful posture that always made Chloe's breath catch was missing; in its place were slumped shoulders, and a hanging head.  It couldn't be Lucifer -- and yet....

Chloe tried to call out, but her voice was stuck in her throat.  Frustration flooded through her.

As if sensing her presence, the man stopped and slowly turned toward her.  It _was_ Lucifer, but not the man she remembered.  He had changed.  His face was grim, with dark circles under his eyes.  And his eyes... they were dead, lifeless.   She could only stare at him, shocked.

Their eyes met.  His beautiful black eyes widened, and his lips parted.  Life slowly returned to his face, and his eyes burned with passion and longing.  She saw him mouth her name, then heard him say it reverently, like a prayer: "Chloe...."

His deep, melodious voice had never sounded as beautiful to her ears as it did then.  She hadn't realized how much she missed it, until she had heard it again.

He took one step toward her, two... then suddenly stopped.  His eyes grew wide with alarm and he stumbled back.  "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice hoarse.  Then, louder: "You shouldn't be here -- you can't be here!"

He staggered away, looking like he had just been dealt a death blow.  She reached out to him, struggling to find her voice.

And then a horrible gut-wrenching feeling ripped through her, almost like someone had grabbed her insides and yanked.  Overwhelming vertigo tore through her as the world suddenly rushed past -- up, this time, instead of down.

"Lucifer!" she screamed, bolting up from the couch.

For a moment Chloe could still smell the smoky, ash-laden air in her dream, then it was gone.  She looked around her, disoriented, not recognizing her own home for a moment.  The dream slowly lost its power and Chloe began to forget bits and pieces of it, but she remembered Lucifer.  Tears flooded her eyes and she lay back down, trying desperately to fall asleep again, trying hard to go back to where he was.  But sleep eluded her for the rest of the day, and when she fell asleep that night, it was a dreamless sleep.

________________________________

The next time Chloe dreamed of Lucifer was two nights later.  She felt the falling sensation, and eagerly held onto it, hoping that it would lead her back to him.  She found him -- faster this time.  He was still walking the corridors of that strange place.  There were other creatures too -- strange, ugly beings that she couldn't identify.  She ignored them all and concentrated only on Lucifer.  Chloe ran up to him from behind, her heart beating madly in her chest.  Almost as if she had spoken, he turned when she was a good ten feet away.  The anger that emanated from him stopped her dead in her tracks.

"You're not her," Lucifer said firmly.  "She would never end up here.   _Never._   She is too pure and good for this place."  He angrily struck out at a large slab of rock beside him, shattering it.  "Stop pretending to be her!"

Chloe stood rooted to the ground, looking at the rock, then back at her old partner.  There was fury in every movement he took, and if she didn't know better, she would almost say he was on fire.

"Why are you trying to be her? Who do you think you are?!"  He bared his teeth at her, his eyes red and burning.  Alarm rippled through Chloe at the sight.  At that moment, he truly looked like the devil that he had claimed to be.  He faced her, rage coming off of him in waves.  "What kind of demon are you, to take on her image?!  You have no right -- I should tear you limb from limb!"

He took a couple of threatening steps toward her, then stopped.  The anger slowly burned away, and he was Lucifer again – ordinary Lucifer.  His eyes slowly deadened, and his face lost all expression.

"No," he said softly.  Chloe could hear pain in every word that he spoke.  "I… I could never hurt -- not even – no.  I can't do this.  Leave me alone.  Please."

He turned away and started walking away again.  She tried to catch up but then the horrible yanking feeling tore through her, and up, up, up she went.

Chloe awoke back in her bed.  She wanted to scream at the pain so evident in Lucifer.  Why was she dreaming of him like this?  She couldn't understand it.  Shouldn't she be dreaming of him as she knew him when he was alive – full of boyish vibrancy and life and passion?  Not… dead and full of despair, like this?  A glance at the clock on the nightstand beside her told her it was 2:00 AM.  She didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

________________________________

The next night, the falling dream returned.  Once again she was back in that strange, hot, ash-filled place.  It didn't take her long to find him; this time he was sitting on a throne of stone in a strange, open room.  Chloe's heart clenched; he looked… broken.  He glanced up as she walked in.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked her.  "Were you sent by Dad to torture me, is that it?"

She said nothing.  She only stood before him and tried to memorize his face.  It would be something for her to hold on to, when she woke up.

Lucifer laughed bitterly.  "Dear old Dad.  I should have known he wouldn't leave me alone to lick my wounds in private.  No, he always did like to twist the knife."  He ran his hand down his face, then leaned hard on the throne's armrest.  "Dad must be having the time of his life, flaunting in front of me the one person who meant anything to me.  Go back and tell Dad that there's no need.  I'm doing a fine job of torturing myself, thank you."

When Chloe just continued to look at him, Lucifer stood up and approached her slowly.  There was ash in his hair; she had the urge to sweep it out of his dark locks, but her hands stayed at her sides.  She didn't know this Lucifer -- this bitter, heartsick man.  He stopped in front of her and regarded her with sad eyes that studied every part of her face, as if trying to memorize it.  "I know I've lost her forever… but you look so much like her, I can almost –"

He reached out to her, but stopped short of actually touching her cheek.  His hand tightened into a fist that he lowered to his side.

He took a step back, almost as if afraid.  "I can't," he said as he shook his head.  "I won't."

He turned away and stood with his back to her.  She studied his wide shoulders and lean frame, wanting so much to have him back in her life.  God, she missed him so much....

"Not a moment goes by that I don't wish that I was with her," he said, almost as if to himself.  "When I took care of Mum, I never dreamed that it would mean I'd never see her again."

Lucifer took a deep breath, then turned to look at her again.  His eyes were dark and unwavering as he said, "But the sacrifice was worth it, for she is alive and safe, and she is all that matters."

Chloe awoke in her bed, sobbing.

________________________________

Chloe couldn't handle it anymore.  Every time she saw Lucifer, it felt like her insides were being torn apart.  She wanted – needed – closure.  She called and booked an appointment with Doctor Martin to discuss her strange dreams.

"Dreams are our subconscious trying to solve problems," the therapist told Chloe in her office later that day.  "Maybe these dreams are your way of trying to cope with his death.  You're angry with him for committing suicide, so you see him in this place full of ash and heat, much like the Biblical Hell.  You see him suffering because you’re punishing yourself, for what could hurt more than seeing a friend suffer?  You have to stop feeling guilty about not being able to stop him, and for being angry.  Lucifer made his own decision.  There wasn’t anything you could do.

"Dreams are powerful things, but you're not completely helpless in them.  Don't let your dream control you – you control it.  Lift him out of your vision of Hell and set him free.  When you set him free, you'll set yourself free, too."

That night Chloe dreamed of Lucifer again… but this time she wasn't without purpose.  She was filled with resolve.

She found him sitting on the ground at the foot of a stone cell with multiple chains on it.  He was leaning against the locked door, forearms resting on his bent knees, staring up at the sky.  She followed his gaze, but instead of the stars she saw only darkness.  Chloe could hear yelling and screaming from beyond the door.  A woman's voice.  Was she dreaming of his mother now, too?  She wondered what _that_ meant.

"I miss the stars," Lucifer said quietly.  "I miss the cool night air.  I miss the taste of fine Scotch.  And I miss her."

He turned his gaze to her, his eyes sad and tired.  "I knew you'd come.  I don't know how, but I knew."  He studied her with a penetrating look.  "You wear her face well."

When she said nothing, he laughed wryly.  "Well, I suppose it's fun to torture the Devil," Lucifer said with a spark of his old fire.  "After all this time, someone was bound to get their own back."

Chloe walked right up to the seated man and stood in front of him.  If she reached out, she could ruffle his wavy, black hair, but she didn't.  Instead, she held out her hand to him.  Lucifer studied it, but made no move to take it.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

She stubbornly held her hand out to him.   _Take it_ , she willed him.   _Take my hand_.

His eyes widened as if he had heard her and couldn't believe it.  "Chloe?"

_Take my hand.  Please, Lucifer, please...._

He slowly reached up, his eyes never leaving hers, and grasped her outstretched hand.  His hand felt solid, warm, and reassuring in hers.  Real.

The gut-wrenching vertigo took hold of her as it always did when the dream was ending, and she awoke in her bed.  Chloe stared up at the dark ceiling above her, and wondered if her subconscious had finally let go of Lucifer, like Doctor Martin had suggested.  Hot tears leaked from her eyes.   _Goodbye, Lucifer,_ she thought.   _Find peace._


	11. The Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A HUGE thank you to ScooterThyme, the best darn beta in the entire universe!!! Thank you for making this chapter the best it could be!!!

 

 

Sunlight filtered through Chloe's bedroom window and woke her up.  It was Saturday-- two more days and she would have to return to work.  She sighed, wishing she had more time off.  At least she had finally gotten a good night's sleep, for the first time in weeks.  After the strange dream with Lucifer, she had slept a normal, restful sleep with uneventful dreams that easily diffused upon waking.  Taking Lucifer’s hand in her dream had been cathartic.  She would miss him terribly, but at least now she felt like she could move forward with her life.

She wished she could stay in her old nightshirt all day, but she pulled herself out of bed, hopped in the shower, and got dressed.  She was surprised that Trixie wasn't up already.  He daughter liked the Saturday morning cartoons.

She went into Trixie's room and gently nudged the ball of blankets in the middle of the bed.  "Hey, Monkey," she said.  "Wake up.  It's Saturday.  You're missing your shows."

The blanket lump shifted and groaned.  After a little more nudging, Trixie's head popped out from under the covers.  She squinted up at her mother and frowned.  "I don't want to watch tv," she muttered.

Chloe straightened, surprised.  "Then what do you want to do?"

Trixie shook her head and pulled the covers over her head.  Chloe sighed, taking a seat on the side of the bed.  "Hey.  What's going on?"

The lump of blankets quivered as Trixie shook her head.  Chloe reached over and pulled back the covers.  "Do you miss Daddy?  He needs to work some things out, but I can call him if you like."  Chloe hated to make the offer, considering all the issues she had going with Dan, but she would do anything to cheer up her little girl.

Trixie stared up at her mother, her eyes filling with tears.  "I miss Lucifer," she said sadly.

"Come here," she said as she pulled her daughter up into a sitting position and hugged the little girl.  "I miss him too, baby.  I miss him too."

They stayed like that for a while, comforting each other as best they could.  Finally Chloe pulled back and looked down at Trixie.  "How about you get dressed and I'll make us some pancakes or something.  Does that sound good?"

The little girl nodded once, still looking dejected.  Chloe kissed the top of Trixie’s head, then left the room, closing the door behind her.  She was headed toward the kitchen, when she heard a knock on the door.

_Who could that be?_ she wondered.  It was early -- maybe Dan had decided to stop by, even though she had told him that she needed some space after losing Lucifer.  She sighed in frustration.  As if she needed _this_ , this morning.  Chloe had to admit that he had been very good to her and Trixie when she had fallen into depression about Lucifer, but she just did not want to see him right now.

Whipping open the front door, she said, "Dan, now is really not a good time --"

Lucifer stood on her doorstep with his hands in his pockets, looking for all the world as if it was just a normal day.  He gave her a boyish smile, although it seemed a little tentative.  "Hello, Detective.  Will I do?"

Chloe stood there and stared at him with her mouth agape.  Similar to her dream, he still seemed tired and worn, despite looking devastatingly handsome in his expensive, tailored suit.  Unlike her dream, though, he stood straight and tall, with that beautiful posture of his that exuded confidence.   Chloe's breath caught as she looked into his eyes -- oh, his eyes were brimming with life.  Her brain struggled to process the man in front of her as her heart beat a fierce tattoo.  Oh god, she thought wildly, I've lost it.  I've gone mad.

Lucifer stared at her a long moment, suddenly looking unsure of himself.  "Perhaps -- perhaps now is not a good time.  I should come back later...."  He started to turn away, but she reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.  It felt reassuringly solid and real under her fingertips.  Maybe she wasn't going mad, after all.  Either that, or this was one hell of a delusion.

She pulled him inside and shut the door behind him.  She had forgotten how tall he was; he was a good head taller than her barefooted self.  He looked so good to her, so handsome... and so infuriatingly _alive_.  Anger welled up in Chloe, a fury that she hasn't felt since her father had been killed and the paparazzi had invaded the funeral.   Before she knew what she was doing, she balled her hand into a fist and punched him in the jaw with all her might.

It was a good punch.  Chloe watched his head snap back, although he managed to stay on his feet.  It didn't give her any satisfaction, though.

"Where have you been?!" she yelled at him.  "I thought you died!  Where the _hell_ have you been?!"

She began shoving him and beating at him with her fists, suddenly furious at him.  "You bastard, it's been over a month!  I mourned you!  Trixie mourned you!  Do you know the hell we've been through?"  Tears were spilling from her eyes and she couldn't stop herself.  "Why didn't you tell us you were alive?!"

Lucifer said nothing; he merely gathered her up in his arms and held her tight, until her short spurt of anger wore off and she was sobbing against his chest.

Lucifer reveled in the feel of her against him, and his heart felt like bursting.  He couldn't believe that he was here, back on earth, with the woman he loved in his arms at last.  He swore silently that he would never let her go.

Trixie popped her head out of her room, wondering what all the yelling was about.  When she saw Lucifer, her face lit up with joy.  He spotted her and shook his head, silently telling her to stay where she was.  He held up a finger, indicating to the little girl to give them a moment.  Trixie nodded with a big smile on her face and dove back into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Lucifer led the sobbing woman to the couch and sat her down beside him.  He rocked Chloe back and forth, muttering quiet words of comfort, until the emotional storm passed.  She snuffled into his snowy white shirt as she tried to stop crying.  He calmly reached into his jacket pocket and handed her a silk handkerchief.

"Better?" he asked.

"God damn you, Lucifer," she muttered.

He pressed his cheek against the top of her head.  "He's already done that, Detective," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

Chloe gave a hiccupping laugh and straightened.  Lucifer let her go, although he never took his eyes off of her.  She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand like a child; he found the action endearing.

"So where were you?" she asked, her eyes full of questions.  "We searched the coastline for you, and the Coast Guard searched the waters, but there was nothing...."  Lucifer opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off, adding, "And don't give me any tall tales about being lost on a three hour tour or cast away on an island.  I want the truth, Lucifer."

"I was in Hell," he said simply.  "You brought me back."

Chloe sighed.  Same old Lucifer, still speaking metaphorically.  She didn't know why she had expected anything else.

"I'm serious, Lucifer.  Where were you?"

"Hell.  You raised me up and brought me back."  He adjusted himself on the couch; she tried to move away to give him more room, but he snaked an arm around her shoulder and prevented that.  His free hand took a hold of one of her hands and squeezed.  "I don't know how you did it, but... thank you."

His eyes were so earnest and full of tenderness.  Chloe didn't recognize this Lucifer.  Something had changed, shifted in him... and maybe in her, too.

They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, as passion blossomed between them.  It was all new to Lucifer; he was familiar with lust, but this felt so much more profound.  It was scary, but in an exciting way.  His gaze shifted to Chloe's lips and he started to lean forward to taste them.  Surely she wouldn't begrudge him just one kiss...? He had been in Hell, after all....

The sound of Trixie's door opening had them both leaping apart like guilty teenagers.  They exchanged sheepish smiles as the little girl came running up.

"Lucifer!" Trixie cried.  Lucifer let out an "oof" as she leaped on him and gave him a tight hug.  Chloe laughed at his surprised expression.

"I knew you weren't dead!  I knew it!  Mommy said you were, but I knew you were still alive!  You'd never leave without saying goodbye, would you?"

He smiled, touched at her enthusiastic greeting.  Children still made him very uncomfortable, but Trixie was slowly becoming the exception – not that he'd let anyone know that.  He returned her hug briefly before awkwardly patting the little girl's back and lifting her gently off of him.  "Yes, well, not if I had the choice.  Let's have some brekkie, shall we?  I'm famished.  Being in Hell can do that to one."

Trixie went running to the kitchen, leaving the adults behind.  Chloe suddenly felt uncomfortable about what had nearly happened on the couch.  She had wanted Lucifer's lips on hers quite badly, but she couldn't afford a romantic entanglement right now -- not with things as they were with Dan.   Now that sanity had returned, she felt awkward standing next to him.  She chalked up the aberration to shock at seeing him after five weeks missing.  

"Lucifer...." She began hesitantly, almost afraid to say anything that he might misinterpret.  "About what almost happened -- I'm sorry.  It's not that I don't want to.... It's just that I can't handle – well, not now...."   Ugh, she was making a hash out of this.

Lucifer regarded her with quiet, knowing eyes.  

"I know.  It's new for me too," he admitted in an uncharacteristically gentle voice.  He smiled and wrapped an arm around Chloe’s shoulder as he steered her toward the kitchen.  There was much they had yet to deal with -- his newly reacquired wings, the question of how she had been able to pull him up from Hell, and the fact that she _still_ didn't believe he was the Devil -- but that could all wait until later.  "Let's take it slow, shall we?"

He could afford to go slow; he had all the time in the world, now.  The two people who meant everything in the world to him laughed and teased him in the kitchen, and he couldn't be happier.  He was home.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading my take on Season 2, and for all of your wonderful comments! I really appreciate each and every one of you. Would you like to see this story continue? I have some ideas for a story which continues the tale of this Lucifer and Chloe, but if you'd rather have me leave them happy as they are, I can do that too. Please leave me a comment and let me know. If I write a part 3, it may take some time (I write everything first before posting). Many, many thanks!!!


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